Public
64%
Private
36%
Neither; both packages are the same
0%
Last month we asked which sector you thought received the best pay and benefits package. The results show that nearly two-thirds of you believe that the public sector does.
Pay perception
Despite the ingrained belief that the public sector is worse off, recent figures from the Office for National Statistics demonstrate that the reverse is true. At the beginning of 2010 public sector workers were paid an average of £2,000 more than their private sector counterparts.
The reason for this is thanks to a surge in wages between 1997–2009. Median earnings in the public arena increased by 57 per cent, compared with only 43 per cent in the private sector.
Benefits communication
Public sector workers sometimes do not appreciate the total value of their reward, particularly when elements such as holiday entitlement, shorter working hours and pension are incorporated.
A reason for this is that employers in this area are often not as adept at communicating the benefits that are available, leading to a negative perception.
Improve the image
A survey by totaljobs.com revealed that 72 per cent of public sector workers would consider a move into the private arena in order to achieve better pay and benefits. However, the reality is very different.
The public arena needs to make a concerted effort to change its image if it is to retain the best staff. If it does not improve its communication of the overall benefits package, it will fail to attract workers from outside of the sector, risking stagnation.
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