A recent study from job site CareerBuilder.com shows a large number of people are seeking out jobs in federal, state and city governments–to the tune of 88 percent of 2,900 people polled.
From the CareerBuilder.com press release:
“Forty-one percent reported that they are interested in jobs within the Federal government, while 47 percent said they are interested in jobs within state and local government.The economic stimulus plan has helped to bring more attention to job opportunities in the public sector. More than one-third (34 percent) of job seekers surveyed said that the economic stimulus plan made them more interested in positions within government.When asked what most appealed to them about working for the government, job seekers pointed to job stability (21 percent), training opportunities (16 percent) and a chance to make a difference (13 percent).”In an uncertain market, job security is a huge selling point for workers,” said Chuck Loeher, vice president of Government Solutions at CareerBuilder. “Sixty-one percent of job seekers we surveyed said they think government jobs are more stable than private sector positions; a desirable asset in a tough economy.”“
Some did say there was less opportunity to make money with public sector jobs, and 37 percent said they would be deterred by the need to work around red-tape bureaucracy and office politics.