Final answer:
The U.S. government employs a significant portion of the public workforce, specifically 16.6% of total employment, highlighting its role as the largest employer and emphasizing the mixed-economy nature of the country.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government employs a significant percentage of the public workforce. To be more specific, public sector employment, which includes general government and public corporations, accounts for a distinct portion of total employment. In the United States, a noteworthy statistic is that the majority of government employees serve at the state and local levels, occupying roles such as teachers, police officers, and clerical staff at various government offices.
Regarding the percentage of public employees, data indicates that 18.6 million people, or 16.6% of the total employment, are government workers. This confirms the prominence of government employment in the labor market. Furthermore, the percentage of employees working in the public sector also reflects the mixed nature of the US economy, contrasting with the notion of it being purely capitalist.
Another consideration is the distribution of workers across different business sizes in the private sector. A substantial share of employment comes from fairly large private firms, but a remarkable 35% of workers are employed in smaller firms with fewer than 100 workers. These small-scale operations range from professional services to casual labor. However, this information does not account for non-employer businesses, which are small entities where owners earn income without a formal salary.