Federal Employee Salaries Not Keeping Pace with Private Sector

Federal employees on average earned 24.72 percent less this year than workers in similar private sector jobs, according to a report by the Federal Salary Council released yesterday.

The pay gap clearly shows the government needs higher wages to compete with the private sector for the skilled staff necessary to serve the American people.

Although the current pay gap remains sizable, there was improvement from 27.54 percent in 2023—largely due to the average 5.2 percent raise that federal employees received in 2024, the highest in 43 years.

“NTEU continues to support ongoing efforts to narrow the gap, make the federal government a more competitive employer and help federal employees across the country deal with rising costs,” said National President Doreen Greenwald. Read more