Goldtent TA Paradise

How Overpaid Are State And Local Government Workers Compared To Private

1. silverboom says:

   March 14, 2024 - 6:24 pm at 6:24 pm

   My ire towards these cretins is incapable of measurement.

2. pedro_deleon says:

   March 14, 2024 - 9:25 pm at 9:25 pm

   Mish oversimplies, and draws unfounded conclusions as a result.

   Basically, there is limited overlap in the skillsets between the public and private sectors. So any comparison for it to be valid has to be apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Mish doesn’t do that.

   Governments are heavily loaded with attorneys. And attorneys are not one size fits all. So find a patent attorney, or a tax attorney, or one in labor law.
   Compare them pairwise, based on similar years out of law school, also. I wouldn’t be surprised if private sector pay for lawyers was 3x (or up) government for comparable skills.

   The other area where there would be some overlap would be IT jobs (network, maintenance, and security). I have no read on that area.

   Governments also hire lots of paper pushers. The private sector (other than health) not so much.

   Basically, if you are low skilled but get a govt job, you’ll be overpaid with solid job security and ample benefits. If you are highly skilled, the private sector will pay double or better but your hours/travel will be far more grueling.

   • Kewl2 says:

     March 15, 2024 - 12:13 am at 12:13 am

     I like your summary:

     “Basically, if you are low skilled but get a govt job, you’ll be overpaid with solid job security and ample benefits. If you are highly skilled, the private sector will pay double or better but your hours/travel will be far more grueling.”