DOD is the World's Biggest Boss

Worldwide proponents of government austerity will be outraged by today's Daily Chart from the Economist, which shows seven of the world's 10 largest employers are run by national governments.

The U.S. Department of Defense takes the forward position as the world's biggest boss, with 3.2 million military and civilian employees, according to the Economist.

As with most things in world affairs, China takes second place with designs on first. The Chinese People's Liberation Army employs 2.3 million people.

China's state-owned petroleum company and electrical utility come in fifth and sixth, with 1.7 million and 1.6 million employees respectively. The UK's newly austere National Health Service ranks seventh with 1.4 million employees.

The first two privately-owned corporations on the list are Wal-Mart, coming in third with 2.1 million employees, and McDonald's, which comes in fourth with 1.7 million employees.

The Economist doesn't provide a source for its Defense Department figures. A quick Nextgov calculation adding active duty military personnel with civilian Defense Department employees comes out lower. But the Economist may be factoring in the work of contractors or reservists.