Government jobs are often considered more stable than jobs in the private sector. It can be more difficult to lay off or downsize employees in government organisations due to factors like civil service protections and union representation.

Private companies may have more flexibility to reduce their workforce in response to economic conditions or changing business needs. Recently, Meta laid off 13% of its employees and Twitter laid off nearly two thirds of its workforce. This is very unlikely to happen in the short term in a government organisation.

Government employees may receive different benefits and compensation packages to those in the private sector. This can include pensions, health insurance and other perks such as education assistance or flexible working arrangements. Private companies may offer more flexible or customisable benefits packages, butmay also be more prone to fluctuating based on the financial health of the company.

Government organisations are likely to provide a very generous pension contribution, but private companies are more likely to give a Christmas or end-of-year financial bonus based on company and individual performance.

Opportunities for career advancement may differ between government and the private sector. In government, promotions may be based on merit or seniority, with a clear ladder of progression. In the private sector, career advancement may be more directly tied to an employee’s performance and contributions to the company.

This can mean that there may be more opportunities for high performers to advance quickly, but it can also mean that advancement is less predictable and may depend on the availability of openings and the business needs of the company. A private business is more likely to have a higher budget for learning and development and you’re more likely to be able to attend external training courses and conferences.

Opencast, for example, has a subscription to the Pluralsight tech training platform for every employee and they are encouraged to seek out other opportunities for their personal development.