Isles have most
state workers

Hawaii has more than 3 times
the percentage of state workers
than in the largest states,
census data show

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

It shouldn't come as any surprise, but Hawaii has the highest percentage of state workers in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

With 67,750 people, or 5.6 percent of the Aloha State's 1,211,537 population, employed in state government, Hawaii has more than three times the percentage of state workers than in California, Texas, New York and Florida.

In those largest states, state employees make up less than 1.5 percent of their respective populations, which are in the tens of millions of people.

"Obviously, we've got too many people in public positions," said Sam Slom, president of Small Business Hawaii and a Republican state senator.

The Census Bureau reported yesterday there were more than 15.1 million full-time workers employed in state and local governments last year, an increase of 2.2 percent over 1999.

The results from the March 2000 annual survey of state and local government employment and payroll show about 7.8 million public employees nationwide worked in education, 929,000 in hospitals and 867,000 in police protection.

Other categories included corrections, streets and highways, public welfare, health, judicial, financial administration and fire protection.

In Hawaii the results show the number of state workers grew to 67,750 in March 2000 from 50,657 in July 1992.

Of that March 2000 number, 54,832 were full-time equivalent employees. This designation includes half-time positions that, if two were counted together, would be considered as full-time positions.

And 33,248 people had jobs in public education -- more than double the 16,234 in July 1992. Public higher education accounted for another 12,301 state workers.

It cost the state government $158.6 million to meet its monthly payroll in March 2000.

Lowell Kalapa, director of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, cautioned about making comparisons between the number of state workers in Hawaii and in other states.

That is because Hawaii's government includes workers in education, health and welfare, which are usually handled at the county level in most states.

"It's like comparing blue eggs and yellow eggs," Kalapa said.

Still, Kalapa said, "we're probably in the top one-third of the states in total compensation (of state workers)," which he said is a direct indicator that Hawaii tends to have more people than elsewhere who make a career in public service.

While public workers' pay is constantly at issue, what keeps them there is the generous benefits package that comes with being a career public servant, he said.

Slom, an advocate of government reform, said that if the state is truly interested in downsizing or "right-sizing" government, it must take advantage of the new law passed earlier this year that allows the privatization of government services.

By doing so, it would make existing state employees and government services more accountable and force them to look for better ways to do things.

"So privatization, again, is not and was never intended to be a panacea," Slom said. "It doesn't cure all the problems. All it does is, it gives you the options."