What do you make of this? Government is the fastest-growing business sector in the Houston area, even as Houston's jobless rate inches up. That's according to this weekend piece in The Chronicle.

In the most recent report, government added the most jobs locally, putting on 11,900 new positions, for a 3.3 percent jump. The second-fastest growing sector is professional and business services, which was up 9,100 jobs, a 2.3 percent increase. The bright spots in that category include architectural, engineering services and personnel staffing, according to officials.

Wonder where those jobs are being added? Are they in the social services departments created to help folks during hard times? Crime and justice, since some observers say crime rates go up during tough economic periods? Or simply throughout government according to its historic pace of growth?

Are the positions the type that fill a job demand in the Houston area? In other words, are the nurses and doctors laid off from UTMB at Galveston able to compete for new government jobs in the medical profession? Are they the jobs Houstonians want? Do they fill a public need?

Is it a good idea for government growth to outpace that in the rest of the economy?