TacoNomad t1_j4xxe46 wrote
Reply to comment by Little_Noodles in In first act as governor, Josh Shapiro opens Pa. jobs to people without college degrees by OhmyMary
This is probably going to help out the state far more than the employees. Many of these positions pay significantly less than their non govt counterparts. Allowing people without degrees will help fill open positions.
worstatit t1_j4y0qab wrote
State jobs are known for security and benefits, not high pay. Health insurance, vacation, sick time, holidays, etc. all have value.
TacoNomad t1_j4y3t7y wrote
Sure. But for people with degrees, they don't compete with the civilian sector. Those jobs have vacation, sick time, holidays, health insurance and all those benefits too. Plus higher pay.
OccasionallyImmortal t1_j516bl2 wrote
Private companies offer these benefits, but nowhere near the level of State jobs. The primary benefit the State offers over the private sector is job security. Permanent layoffs are common in private sector work, but almost unheard of in State jobs.
Retirement benefits are night and day. Private sector jobs have 401k's that are limited by the amount you saved and the wisdom of your investments. The State offers pensions: limited only by your pay rate + time served, and they pay until you die.
Health insurance benefits have substantially lower deductibles, co-pays, and employee contributions. A friend of mine works for the state and hates his job, but cannot afford to leave because his wife has chronic health issues that would cost him an extra $20K per year on typical health insurance. He'd be lucky to get that big of a raise in the private sector.
Vacation, sick, and holidays vary considerably.
TacoNomad t1_j51qfex wrote
Well plenty of companies offer job security, but the state has people convinced otherwise, so they're doing a good job marketing that. I just left a company that had a pension and a 401k and stock options. 401ks are not negative compared to pensions and anyone who thinks so just doesn't understand 401k. It's a lack of financial awareness, not a deficiency.
I have excellent health care, better than my moms who is a state worker. I pay $0 per month for it.
Depending on what industry your friend is in, they're probably selling themselves short.
You're speaking like every employer is Walmart. It's not. The state pays substantially less and in many industries, the 'benefits' don't outweigh the pay difference.
OccasionallyImmortal t1_j51ra6a wrote
>You're speaking like every employer is Walmart.
The comparisons are mostly in IT since it's the field that I work in. I've worked as a contractor in State facilities and they do make a LOT less money ~15-20% less. Layoffs are a way of life in my industry. Survival instincts include seeing the signs of a layoff before they start and getting out. This is something that people who work in government jobs never seem to do and it's common to find people who worked there for decades. In IT, 7 years is a long-timer.
Lethander2 t1_j52e7ms wrote
The pensions did take a hit in 2019, it changed over from a full pension system to a hybrid pension/401A system for any new hires after January 2019.
Little_Noodles t1_j4xy52k wrote
Yeah, I think that’s absolutely true, especially in the short term.
I think it would benefit many young people to have a college experience that doesn’t come with crippling debt, and would also benefit the nation’s general body politic. I don’t love the idea that the best use of a young person’s time is just to be trained to work and then assigned to an employer as quickly as possible.
But in the short term, the state will definitely benefit from filling open positions with capable staff and putting people that might otherwise struggle with meaningful employment into good jobs. It’s a good idea, and I’m all for it.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments