The Advantages of Government Employment
There are many advantages of having a government job that are not always available to the employee in the private sector. Many people strive to find employment in the public sector to enjoy increased pay and relative job security. But these attractive features are just the beginning.
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Higher Compensation
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According to the AFL-CIO, government employees are often paid more than their private sector counterparts for the same type of work. It is not unusual for public sector workers to be paid twice as much as employees working for a privately owned business. This is partly due to collective bargaining through unions, which is more effective in the public than the private sector due to the lack of competitive forces in operation at government levels.
More Vacation and Personal Days
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that public sector employees usually have a more generous paid time off, or PTO, policy than typically provided in the private sector. The average state and local government employee gets 9.9 more paid days off than private employees while the average federal employee has 13 more paid days off on average. Over the course of an entire career, this means that government employees will receive nearly one and a half years' more time off than a private sector employee. Most public sector employees also have shorter work weeks than their private sector counterparts.
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Greater Job Security
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics also show that private employees are three times more likely to be fired or laid off than government employees. This creates an advantage for both employee and employer, because it creates a more relaxed work environment. Most of the time, public employee job security is paid for by private employees because they pay an overwhelming percentage of taxes.
Higher Raises
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Public employees generally receive larger annual raises than private employees because of the protection provided by a competitive market. According to the Public Purpose Government Employment Fact Book, since 1980 the average state and local public employee receives nearly $5 in increases for every dollar earned by workers in the private sector.
Better Severance Packages
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In the circumstance that a government employee does get laid off, the public sector offers better severance packages to ensure that the worker stays on his feet until a new job can be found. The Government Employment Handbook states that federal government severance pay can equal two years of base salary in some cases.
Early Retirement
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Government employees are generally able to retire--with health insurance for life--much earlier than private sector employees. Most state and local government employees are eligible for retirement if they have worked for 30 years or have reached the age of 55. This means that a government employee who started working at the age of 21 can retire at 51. Department of Labor statistics show that less than 10 percent of private employees are able to retired at 55.
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References
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