The advantages and disadvantages of private sector work

Private sector jobs have their pros and cons.

Impressive salary packages, faster promotions and the opportunity to be on the cutting edge in your field of work are some advantages of private sector jobs.

If you don't mind long hours of work, meeting challenging deadlines and working in a competitive fast-paced environment, then a job in the private sector may be right for you. It is important, though, to be well-informed of both the advantages and disadvantages before making a career decision.

Salaries paid to employees in the private sector are one of the major attractants for job seekers. The Washington Post presents statistics from the National Treasury Employees Union according to which, in some cases, employees working in the federal sector receive remuneration up to 26 per cent lower than what they could receive in the private sector for a similar role.

Jobs in the private sector provide more growth opportunities. Time taken for salary increment approvals and to reach the upper hierarchy is less in private sector jobs than in the public sector. Power to make decisions vests with the organisation itself in private sectors unlike public sectors where decisions need to be made in accordance with federal or state regulations. This could be a reason for the private sector job benefit. Moreover, private sectors are more flexible in allowing employees to move to more interesting roles within the company.

Private sector jobs, especially in the technology domain, offer opportunities for employees to be part of more innovative projects with cutting-edge infrastructure.

Since private sector businesses are more focused on generating profits, they are more open to business structures that facilitate this objective. They have lesser bureaucratic protocols, which makes obtaining funding approval for new projects and corresponding infrastructure easier.

A disadvantage of private sector jobs is the insecurity inherent to the sector. Failure to acquire project financing, company acquisitions or low business performance all can act against an employee.

Job-associated perks outside salary are lesser in private sector jobs when compared to federal jobs despite impressive insurance and retirement plans offered by some private companies. In addition, competition is intense for private sector jobs, which puts job seekers with little formal education at a disadvantage in the private sector.