EDITORIAL: Government pay higher than private sector

A report published last week by USA Today newspaper showed the obvious: Federal employees made significantly more money and earned more benefits than similar jobs in the private sector.


That’s been the case for many years now and is a major reason the federal government is in such deep debt. Pay and benefits for government employees have become the gold standard. And in addition to the pay, government employees have far more job security than those working in the private sector.

According to the article, the average federal pay is $67,700 for occupations that also exist in the private sector, where the average salary is $60,000. That does not include a whopping $40,800 in other benefits given to federal employees, compared to just $9,900 in private sector benefits.

Yet it is the private sector which generates the taxes which supports all that federal largess.

But it’s not only the federal government which pays significantly higher salaries than the private sector; state and local governments also offer generous pay and benefits, far beyond what most private sector jobs do.

For example: At UGA, over 935 employees make $100,000 or more per year; in the Jackson County School System, 15 employees make $100,000 or more.

There’s little justification for such high salaries, especially at a time when government is struggling with lower revenues.

Government should do what the private sector has to do in lean times; cut back, including pay and people.