A downshifted economy and volatility within the private sector have many job seekers shifting their focus to government jobs. According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,900 workers completed in June, 88 percent said they were interested in jobs within the public sector. Forty-one percent reported that they are interested in jobs within the Federal government, while 47 percent said they are interested in jobs within state and local government.

The economic stimulus plan has helped to bring more attention to job opportunities in the public sector. More than one-third (34 percent) of job seekers surveyed said that the economic stimulus plan made them more interested in positions within government.

When asked what most appealed to them about working for the government, job seekers pointed to job stability (21 percent), training opportunities (16 percent) and a chance to make a difference (13 percent).

"In an uncertain market, job security is a huge selling point for workers," said Chuck Loeher, vice president of Government Solutions at CareerBuilder. "Sixty-one percent of job seekers we surveyed said they think government jobs are more stable than private sector positions; a desirable asset in a tough economy."

In addition to stability, learning opportunities, and community impact, job seekers said that government organizations can make their job offers more attractive by clearly carving out career paths (11 percent), offering flexible schedules (10 percent) and conveying a sense of ownership in one's position (10 percent).

When asked what could deter them from applying for public sector positions, workers pointed to office politics or red tape (37 percent) and the fear that they'll be replaced when a new administration is instated (13 percent). Concerns over the government's ability to pay as much as the private sector (12 percent) and offer upward mobility (5 percent) were also cited.

For information on CareerBuilder's government hiring solutions, please visit: http://www.careerbuildergovernmentsolutions.com/.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online by CareerBuilder among 2,963 workers in the U.S. who have utilized CareerBuilder. The survey was conducted from June 10 to June 15, 2009. With a probability sample of 2,963, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.8 percentage points.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 31 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to talent acquisition. More than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company and Microsoft Corp. , CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/.

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SOURCE: Career Builder, Inc.