That's possible. I haven't gotten a chance to read about the jobs report yet, but I did see that the unemployment rate ticked up and that's also probably explained largely by the shutdown as well. But the economy has been adding jobs every single month for years, I can't even remember the last time we had a month where jobs declined, so the increase is probably not mostly caused by 2nd jobs by federal employees, though it may have accounted for some of it.

Cool, thanks for the explanation.

The U.S. economy continued to create jobs at a fast clip in January, with employers adding to payrolls for the 100th consecutive month. The unemployment rate ticked higher due in part to the partial government shutdown.
Hiring rose across most sectors, led by leisure and hospitality, professional services and health care. Construction firms, which have come under pressure recently, added 52,000 jobs.
More strong hiring could make the Fed change course. While Friday’s numbers boosted markets, some analysts fear that more steady economic data could force the Fed to reverse its stance again and raise interest rates. That could reignite worries that tighter financial conditions will slow economic growth.
Muted inflation continues to keep investors at ease. While wage gains have been steady, they haven’t surged in a way that is making analysts panic about a sharp uptick that pressures corporate profits. And many commodities including oil are in what some analysts call a sweet spot that signals sufficient demand without causing inflation jitters.

For tweet blockers.

For tweet blockers.

State college employee here. The increase in tuition here has a direct correlation to the decrease in contributions from the state. Student fees have increased a bit to for student related services, but not nearly at the same rate.