In a struggling economy, where the private sector eliminated 286,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2008, do you think federal, state, and local governments are:

a) also eliminating jobs?
b) not doing anything different?
c) hiring new workers at the fastest pace in six years?

If you guessed C, ding-ding-ding! You win. (Or lose, depending on how you look at it.)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, governments (federal, state, and local) added 76,800 jobs in the first three months of 2008. From USA Today:

• The federal government increased its workforce by 13,800 in the first three months of 2008. Local governments added 47,000 and states 16,000.

• The Rochester, N.Y., school system added 289 teachers while the school population shrank by 1,300 students. It’s part of a state-funded effort to reduce class size. New York City is
adding 1,300 teachers. Florida and Texas are also hiring to reduce class size.

• The Texas city of Weatherford (pop. 25,000) added an assistant city manager, nine firefighters, three police officers and extra crews for roads and parks. “We have serious infrastructure issues that we need to get a handle on,” City Manager Jennifer Fadden says.

Read more here and here.