Hawaii falls from 1st to 3rd in share of government workers

Hawaii lost its distinction of having the highest percentage of government workers in its labor force, falling to third place last year in an annual report published Monday by Gallup.

The District of Columbia took over the top spot with 29.2 percent of its workforce made up of government employees. Alaska was second with 28 percent and Hawaii was third with 27.8 percent, according to the results of a Gallup Tracking poll released Monday. Nationally, government workers made up 16.2 percent of the labor force in 2012.

Hawaii had been No. 1 in 2011 followed by Alaska and D.C. The shift in the rankings was the result of government employment falling in Hawaii and Alaska while holding steady in D.C.

Within Hawaii federal workers made up 12.8 percent of the labor force, while state workers accounted for 10.6 percent. City and county workers comprised 4.1 percent of Hawaii’s workforce, according to the report.