The size of the Ohio state government continues to grow smaller again. According to the Columbus Dispatch, employment throughout the state government fell from Aug. 2010 to Aug. 2011 by 2,958 full-time workers, to 56,875, about a 5 percent drop. When Gov. John Kasich took office in January, he directed the state government to become more efficient due to less tax income and a close to $8 billion dollar budget shortfall.

However, figures show that state government employment declined previously before he took office. The state work force fell by more than 2,000 under former Gov. Ted Strickland from August 2007 to August 2008, and 2,000 more by August 2009.

An analysis by the Dayton Daily News of U.S. Census data found state and local governments are relying on part-time workers to cope with these full-time employment losses. Part time employees cost governments less when it comes to wages and benefits. The findings reveal that state and local governments had shrunk from Mar. 2010 to Mar. 2011 by more than 12,000 full-time jobs, about a 2 percent reduction. Local governments cut more than 11,000 full-time employees, and they added almost 6,000 part-timers, a 4.6 percent increase. The state laid-off close to 1,400 full-time workers and added 386 part-timers, a half-percent increase.

Matt Mayer, president of the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio government-focused public policy organization, said in regards to the decline in full-time state employees, "I think what people focus on is government spending, not the number of government employees." The institute's data shows that Ohio government general revenue spending will rise a forecasted 44 percent from 1990 to 2013, corrected for inflation.

He also opposes the notion that decreasing the number of government workers has an efficient economic impact. Rather, he supports employee salary cuts and benefit reforms.

Kasich commented that this reduction in state government is a boon to taxpayers. He said, "This is such an incredible success story, and it is something we will do every single day of every single year."

Kasich should be commended on his attempt to reduce the state's spending in light of Ohio's budget shortfall. Nevertheless, he must also take into account other solutions that could play a role in forming a more efficient state government in addition to lay-offs, such as reducing state government spending and state employee benefit reforms as Mayer noted. With a combination of these efforts, Kasich will be able to help his state government maintain a fiscally responsible course and ease the burden off taxpayers.