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Government jobs have successfully managed to shed their stuffy image of overworked clerks, endless paperwork and old fashioned beaurocracy. Today’s government jobs offer competitive salaries, good benefits and an increasingly wide variety of opportunities for the job seeker.
It’s a huge marketplace – according to the Office for National Statistics, around 6 million people - or 20% of the UK workforce - is employed in government jobs. Women are well represented in the public sector – around 65% of workers are women. And since new rules were instigated in April 2007, all government departments will be required to promote equality between men and women.
Opportunities are especially good for college graduates. A recent poll indicated that just over 30% of college graduates would like to pursue a career in government. The public sector – in particular the Civil Service – is the largest recruiter of new graduates in the UK.
There are several advantages to a government job – the main one perhaps being the better than average salary. Public sector pay has increased faster than the pay for many private companies; today the average salary is around 25,000 pounds. And the range of career options is vast – everything from law and accountancy to computing, engineering and voluntary work.
Government departments have always been innovative in offering options for a work and home life balance. Over 70% of government jobs offer such flexible options as job sharing, flexi-time and working from home. And around 30% of public sector workers work part time.
It’s fairly easy to find government jobs – they are widely advertised in specialist magazines as well as the regional and national newspapers. And the increasing popularity of the internet has meant an increase in jobs being posted online – almost half of public sector employees have increased their online presence.
The application process has also been streamlined – as around 75% of UK job seekers regularly use the internet to look for and apply for jobs. Those interested in a public sector job are strongly encouraged to register their CV with one of the several established recruitment sites.
So whatever your location, background or age – consider a government job. Today’s public sector employees enjoy some of the best salaries and benefits anywhere.