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View Poll Results: Which would you prefer?
A job working for the government 3 37.50%
A job working for a private business 5 62.50%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-29-2010, 03:18 PM
 
26,680 posts, read 28,624,812 times
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42% of Southerners favor a government job over a job with a private business. In the East, 37% prefer a government job; in the West, 31%; in the Midwest, 28%.

I'm guessing the preference is because private businesses have fewer workplace restrictions in the South, and as a consequence, workers in the South have fewer rights. A government job is more secure. Other opinions?

In U.S., 35% Would Rather Work for Gov̢۪t Than for Business
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:30 PM
 
58,749 posts, read 27,080,924 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale View Post
42% of Southerners favor a government job over a job with a private business. In the East, 37% prefer a government job; in the West, 31%; in the Midwest, 28%.

I'm guessing the preference is because private businesses have fewer workplace restrictions in the South, and as a consequence, workers in the South have fewer rights. A government job is more secure. Other opinions?

In U.S., 35% Would Rather Work for Gov’t Than for Business
What do you mean by fewer workplace restrictions?
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:30 PM
 
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
17,531 posts, read 24,648,910 times
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Actually I prefer being my own boss with Government Employment a close second. Working for private industry has never worked out for me
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:32 PM
 
26,680 posts, read 28,624,812 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
What do you mean by fewer workplace restrictions?
For example, all of the Confederate states have right-to-work laws, which prohibit or discourage labor unions. The presence of unions strengthens workplace safety rules.

Opponents further argue that because unions are weakened by these laws, wages are lowered and worker safety and health is endangered. They cite statistics from the United States Department of Labor showing, for example, that in 2003 the rate of workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers was highest in right-to-work states.

Right-to-work law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:40 PM
 
Location: Southeast
4,301 posts, read 7,022,679 times
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Preferring government jobs over private sector work is actually quite common during recessions, although Gallup does mention they have not asked the question before. Since the South was hardest hit by the recession, or at least more so than other regions, it comes as no surprise that there are more who want government jobs.

Or, the fact that non-whites broke even between private and government jobs could come into play, since the majority of minorities live in the South.

I found it interesting that the more educated you are the more likely you are to want a private sector job as opposed to government.
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:50 PM
 
58,749 posts, read 27,080,924 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale View Post
For example, all of the Confederate states have right-to-work laws, which prohibit or discourage labor unions. The presence of unions strengthens workplace safety rules.

Opponents further argue that because unions are weakened by these laws, wages are lowered and worker safety and health is endangered. They cite statistics from the United States Department of Labor showing, for example, that in 2003 the rate of workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers was highest in right-to-work states.

Right-to-work law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I don't think it has anything to do with unions.

Government jobs pay a decent wage. Probably higher than most private sector jobs.

The government benefits package is very good. Again probably better than most private sector jobs.

It is also much harder to get fired from a government job.
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:53 PM
 
26,680 posts, read 28,624,812 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
Government jobs pay a decent wage. Probably higher than most private sector jobs.

The government benefits package is very good. Again probably better than most private sector jobs.

It is also much harder to get fired from a government job.
That's all true, but it doesn't explain why Southerners are more likely to prefer government jobs over jobs with private businesses.
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
37,953 posts, read 22,057,225 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale View Post
42% of Southerners favor a government job over a job with a private business. In the East, 37% prefer a government job; in the West, 31%; in the Midwest, 28%.

I'm guessing the preference is because private businesses have fewer workplace restrictions in the South, and as a consequence, workers in the South have fewer rights. A government job is more secure. Other opinions?

In U.S., 35% Would Rather Work for Gov’t Than for Business
With 10% unemployment, which translates to an insecurity in the jobs market, this may just be a trend propelled by the 0bama recession.
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:57 PM
 
26,170 posts, read 48,881,878 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankie117 View Post
Preferring government jobs over private sector work is actually quite common during recessions, although Gallup does mention they have not asked the question before. Since the South was hardest hit by the recession, or at least more so than other regions, it comes as no surprise that there are more who want government jobs.

Or, the fact that non-whites broke even between private and government jobs could come into play, since the majority of minorities live in the South.

I found it interesting that the more educated you are the more likely you are to want a private sector job as opposed to government.
I worked 30 years for the Army. Every time we had a recession we'd get swamped with applicants for our IT / Tech jobs. When the economy was good, they'd leave for greener pastures.

I worked 4+ years for Domino Sugar in Baltimore before entering Civil Service, plus lesser jobs in fast food and elsewhere.

IMO, there's no contest. If you work for private employers you can run into all sorts of whack jobs, family members of the owners, shenanigans to keep from providing health care benefits, and a million other screw-you-over tricks.

I'd much rather work for the government, even if we did give up all sorts of profit sharing and other incentives. I recall in the go-go 1990's when IT was so hot that people were getting $10k bonuses for every IT pal they could bring into some of the firms in the DC area, not to mention all of the instant millionaires in the dot.com mania of those days. I'd seen it all before, but not that extreme, and I knew it wouldn't last. By the late 1990's I was only a few years from retirement, so I made sure to stay where I was and let others have the big money and glory. I don't know where they are now, but I'm sitting pretty in retirement. Not rich. But damned comfortable after a lifetime of working, saving and investing.
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Old 01-29-2010, 03:59 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,321,515 times
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That sentiment may be more due to job security in these current times.

Low pay with job security probably trumps better pay but chance of layoff these days.
Usually private industry pays much better than government work.
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