I have a government job, I do nothing all day, should I be worried if the economy falls out and being out work

Question

I mean the people that work for private employers are the only ones that should be worried about being laid off or terminated, I have no worries cause I work for the government, right?

Answer 1

No there is a real demand in government for people that do nothing all day long, and do it well. I would say you not only are secure, you probably are on a successful promotion path. Someday, you could end up as Congressman, and really do nothing all day.

Answer 2

Wrong. If you have a job where you do nothing all day, I'd look for a different job if you want to stay employed, since eventually it'll catch up with you. Government agencies have cutbacks - maybe not as much as non-government jobs, but they do have, and when your agency does, you're likely to be one of the first to go.

Answer 3

Let me say one word to you .... RIF. Many government agencies have been cleaning up and sending out many more RIFs since 2001. You are not totally protected, do not believe that you are.

We are probably going to change the political party in power in Washington DC next year, that means a new president who will appoint new agency heads. If your agency gets a new director who has political goals, he/she may decide to start cutting staff to prove to the public that this agency can be cost effective.

We also have one of the biggest deficit on record. And governments who hold lots of our currency, China, are eagerly buying up US businesses, etc. So, we may be getting closer to our government cleaning house of all those who cannot justify their job.

Answer 4

The US has a huge debt, they will have to cut somewhere if they want to repay it, governments do downsize. They did that in Canada a couple years back, it allowed them to save millions and pay the debt...so no, your job is not safe. sorry to tell you that btw.