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Is the public sector a good place to work?

young man at desk on computer at home

There is such a variety of careers in the public services that you really could do anything. Salaries above the national average, excellent benefits packages and the ‘feel good' factor associated with giving something back to society combine to make the public sector an increasingly attractive employer.

Essentially, the public sector is made up of a collection of bodies:

  • Local governments and councils
  • Central government
  • Civil service departments
  • National assemblies and parliaments

Why work in the public sector?
Many public sector employees cited making a positive difference to society as the primary reason for choosing to work in the sector. Working with people is high on many peoples agenda when it comes to a career choice and there are many options such as teaching, nursing childcare or social services.

The public sector is renowned for its flexible working practices and emphasis on creating a harmonious work-life balance . Working from home , part-time opportunities and job shares mean for many people it's the ideal fit.

And, then there is the range of careers available, from accountants to zoologists. Given the size of the sector, there are plenty of opportunities to move within different departments and quickly progress your career.

On the other hand, there's one issue which many people see as a major barrier to entry – the amount of ‘red tape' that exists within the various bodies. As every single penny spent and decision made is eventually accountable to the taxpayer, there often needs to be a very hierarchical and lengthy sign-off procedure on even the smallest projects.

Due to this reputation for tardiness, a large number of local authorities struggle to find applicants with the right knowledge and experience, and it's not unnatural to see medical, technical and professional staff being employed from overseas.

This has pushed outsourcing costs through the roof and as a result, many incentive schemes are in place to attract talented individuals to work in the sector. That boils down to more money being on offer if you're got the skills they're after.

And, in a move to become more applicant-friendly, they are scrapping traditional application forms that often took hours to complete in favour of online applications via their respective websites and job boards.