U.S. states and cities added about 65,000 jobs last month, pushing their combined payrolls far above pre-pandemic levels in a trend that contrasts with a slowing private-sector market.
States and localities now employ almost 20.4 million people, more than 300,000 above the level on the eve of the pandemic. The outbreak triggered an abrupt shutdown of schools and other government activities and led local officials to slash more than a million jobs. It also fueled a massive labor shortage that left localities struggling to attract workers.
