Boston Government Jobs Expected to Grow

Posted on September 4, 2008

Government jobs in Boston are expected to grow during the near future.

In July 2008, Boston‘s government industry employed 281,500 people, an increase of 1 percent from last year, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Massachusetts‘ government industry is expected to employ 416,380 people by 2014, an increase of 2.1 percent from the 407,700 jobs in 2004, according to an article by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

“At the federal level, job losses will continue but at a much slower rate than during the prior 10 years when employment fell 15 percent,” the article notes. “At the state and local level, jobs will continue to increase as the demand for community, health, education, and protective services expand-but at much slower rates than before. At all levels of government, controlling costs will remain a concern.

“Employment in federal government should decline by 5.8 percent, or 2,930 jobs as more administrative operations are automated or centralized in Washington D.C., or contracted out to the private sector,” the article continues. “Employment in state and local government, on the other hand, is projected to increase 3.3 percent with the bulk of the job openings in education. This is down from the 8.0 percent growth rate posted between 1994 and 2004.”

Boston’s government is headed by the city mayor, who is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting. The mayor also is responsible for appointing the school committee for the Boston Public Schools system.

There also is a City Council elected every two years. The Council consists of nine district seats and four at-large seats. The City Council president is elected by the other city councilors. The Boston Redevelopment Authority and Zoning Board of Appeals, a seven-person committee appointed by the mayor, are responsible for making rules regarding land use and planning.

Other important government organizations in the city include the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Boston Public Health Commission and Massachusetts Port Authority. Being the capital of Massachusetts, Boston normally plays a strong role in state politics.

Boston also is home to the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building, Thomas. P. O’Neill Federal Building, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.