Uncle Sam remains a major employer in the D.C. region, still accounting for more than 11% of all jobs, but the region鈥檚 federal government workforce continues a yearslong shrinking trend.
A monthly report from the D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer says as of February, total federal government employment across the metro area was 362,500 鈥� 900 fewer federal government jobs than a year earlier.
In January, the year-over-year decline was more pronounced 鈥� down 2,600.
Federal government employment from month to month can be volatile, but year-over-year comparisons are more representative.
In the District, the decline in federal government employment was more pronounced than in the region as a whole, with 194,600 employees on the federal payroll in February. That’s 1,900 fewer than a year ago, or a decline of about 1%.
The federal government remains the region鈥檚 third-largest employer, behind the extremely broad category of 鈥減rofessional, business, and other services鈥� (972,100 jobs) and 鈥渆ducation and health care鈥� (445,500 jobs.)
Tourism is a major area employer, and the number of those jobs is growing.
The strongest job growth in the past year has been 鈥渓eisure and hospitality,鈥� which employed 331,500 people throughout the region. That’s 13,900 more than a year ago, or an annual job growth rate of 4.4%.
Local governments throughout the region employ almost as many people as the federal government, at 346,600 jobs.
