Private Sector Comparison
For our government to be effective and serve the needs of the American people, federal agencies must be able to attract, retain and develop the best employees. And to do this, the government must compete with leading private-sector companies that are eager to hire top talent.
Advantages and Gaps
So exactly how does the federal government match up against the private sector from the employee perspective?
The answer is that the government continues to lag behind the private sector.
According to an analysis by Hay Group, the 2011 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government index score for large private-sector companies was 70 out of 100, a slight drop from 70.6 in 2010. The 2011 Best Places to Work index score for federal agencies was 64 out of 100, a drop from 65 in 2010. As the chart below shows, federal agencies in 2009, 2010 and now in 2011 have lagged behind the private sector when it comes to worker satisfaction with their jobs and organizations.
In addition to the index score, comparative data with the private sector also are available for 13 questions that are in the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
The table below compares positive responses from federal government employees against a cohort of private sector workers involved in a range of jobs at large companies. The federal government outperforms the private sector in only one area – the opportunity to improve skills. Of the remaining 12 questions, nine show government trailing private employers by more than five points.
As the table below shows, there is a 14 point difference between the government and the private sector on the question, "How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on what's going on in your organization?" When asked whether they felt satisfied with the training they received for their current jobs and whether they felt happy with their opportunities to move forward, there were respectively, a 10 and 13 point gap between the private and public-sector employees.
| Question | Gov % 2011 | Private % 2011 | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization | 65 | 63 | 2 | |
| My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment. | 74 | 75 | -1 | |
| Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job? | 71 | 73 | -2 | |
| I like the kind of work I do. | 85 | 87 | -2 | |
| The people I work with cooperate to get the job done. | 75 | 81 | -6 | |
| Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor/team leader? | 69 | 75 | -6 | |
| I have enough information to do my job well. | 73 | 79 | -6 | |
| How satisfied are you with your involvement in decisions that affect your work? | 53 | 59 | -6 | |
| How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job? | 51 | 57 | -6 | |
| How satisfied are you with the training you receive for your present job? | 55 | 65 | -10 | |
| Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your organization? | 62 | 72 | -10 | |
| How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization? | 40 | 53 | -13 | |
| How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on what's going on in your organization? | 51 | 65 | -14 | |
| Data source: Hay Group and OPM, 2011 Federal Human Capital Survey | ||||
Of the 13 questions, government registered modest improvement in only one area since the last survey—satisfaction with supervisors. However, the number for the private sector also went up slightly, maintaining the gap of 6 points in both 2010 and 2011.
Perhaps most notable are two questions where the federal government went down and the private sector went up. On recognition for doing a good job and satisfaction with involvement in decision-making, the gap between government and private sector doubled. In 2010, there was only a 3 point gap on each question, and now there is a 6 point gap.
Clearly more has to be done to close these gaps if government is to attract and retain the highly-skilled workforce that it needs to meet the critical challenges facing the country.
The Best Places to Work rankings — the most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction and commitment in the federal government — are produced by the Partnership for Public Service.
