Feb. 4--we don't

need

Headhere

Kansas' job market is full of opportunity when economic times are rosy. But that can't be said today. Jobs are available, but not in the numbers we saw a year ago.

That is, unless one works in government, where the number of employees has grown faster than any private sector category.

Last month the Kansas Department of Labor released its December report showing that businesses gained 800 jobs last year for a 0.1 percent increase. That's a measly number, considering there are some 1.4 million people working in Kansas and that the figure includes hot-growth areas like Johnson County.

Meanwhile, government jobs increased 7,500 for a 2.8 percent increase in 2008. The report notes the growth was "primarily due to additions in local government."

The expansion in public employees is noted in national studies ranking states according to how friendly they are to businesses. The Small Business Survival Index 2008, a report by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, lists Kansas in 31st place on a scale ranking states from the friendliest to the least friendly environments for entrepreneurs.

The SBEC study shows Kansas is 47th in government employment, with 6.77 state and local public employees per 100 residents. Nevada ranks first at 4.3.

Some other troubling findings:

n Alaska and eight other states rank first in personal income tax rates because they have no such taxes. Kansas is 33rd with a rate of 6.45 percent.

n Alabama ranks first in state and local property taxes with a rate of 1.36 percent. Kansas is in 31st place with 3.44 percent.

n To its credit, Kansas ranks in the top 25 in a couple of areas. It's fifth in "Highway Cost Effectiveness," meaning we get more bang for our dollars than 45 other states. We rank 16th in state and local government expenditures per capita.

But in the final tally, the SBSI shows us in the bottom half in state rankings, largely due to growth in government jobs, plus high income, capital gains and property taxes.

It's a bad mix that needs addressing, both in Topeka and in local city and county chambers.

-- Tom Bell

Editor & Publisher

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