Freedomain Radio

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Public-and-private-sector-pension.5601159.jp

http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2009-04-09-compensation_N.htm

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/public-service-pay-50pc-above--private-sector-1817190.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1164342/Public-sector-pay-goes-private-workers-suffer.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/someone-will-have-to-pay-for-a-two-tier-job-system/article1219654/

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-you-should-have-gone-into-the-federal-government-2009-8

Haven't seen the video yet, but people gloating about working conditions and pay in the public sector is something I run into constantly in the UK. I point out that the public sector is financed by taking money from the private sector, but they usually just fly off into long rants about what they think they're entitled to, and calling me a Tory.

Golden parachutes for public retirees will sink us all, experts say

Also, while the private sector has shed millions of jobs, governments at all levels have been hiring people by the tens of thousands and may hire many more.

Study: Feds Will Need to Hire 270,000

In this video from Reason TV, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch says that more than 5,000 retired public sector employees in California are drawing annual pensions exceeding $100K.

Hey Stef, just on a side note, how do you feel about people taking public sector jobs. I'm really having trouble finding one in the private sector at the moment, and I keep seeing public sector listings that I think I can do. I just can't bring myself to actually apply to them.

Atrising:

Hey Stef, just on a side note, how do you feel about people taking public sector jobs. I'm really having trouble finding one in the private sector at the moment, and I keep seeing public sector listings that I think I can do. I just can't bring myself to actually apply to them.

I know you were asking stef this but I thought I'd just offer you some food for thought. I was recently job hunting and stayed away from public sector jobs simply because I've heard they're pretty horrid places to work (inefficient, abusive, demotivating etc). But generally speaking I see no problem with working in the public sector considering how many jobs the government destroys that would otherwise exist in a free market system. 

What area of the public sector were you looking in? 

I wasn't being too specific with the type of job, besides most of them have absolutely absurd names so it's hard to know whats what. Things like 'European funding projects administration officer', I looked into it and it was basically asking for a pen pusher with Excel skills.

I've only known a few people who've actually worked in the public sector, and I didn't find out much about their jobs. The only thing that struck me was that they never seemed to actually be doing anything. They pretty much just seem to go to work, check in, do the bare minimum, then go home early.