Study rekindles debate over federal pay and benefits

Government Executive reports:

A right-leaning Washington think tank once again has added fuel to the debate over federal employee pay with a report asserting civil servants earn significantly higher salaries and more generous benefits than their private sector counterparts, while enjoying far greater job security.

But the Heritage Foundation study, released on Wednesday, acknowledged that in certain highly skilled occupations, public servants are earning less than they would in the private sector, and it advocated against a universal pay freeze for federal employees. Lawmakers recently have suggested such measures in attempts to rein in spending, but so far Congress has rejected the proposals.

In an analysis of existing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis, James Sherk, a Heritage senior policy analyst in labor economics, found even after adjusting for factors such as age, skill level and education, federal employees earned 30 percent to 40 percent more in total compensation -- including wages and benefits -- than private sector workers in comparable jobs.

Here's a link to the Hertiage Foundation study.