Fatter Paychecks for Fed IT Workers?

There have been a lot of news headlines recently that claim that federal pay is significantly higher than private sector pay. A new survey by InformationWeek adds fuel to this claim, at least when comparing federal IT workers to their private sector counterparts. In fact, findings show that federal IT workers earn approximately 10 percent more than private sector IT employees.

The study, which included 20,492 IT professionals--931 in the federal government--found that federal IT managers earn $121,000 in median total compensation, compared to $110,000 for IT managers across all private industries surveyed. Federal IT workers earned a total median compensation of $94,000, compared to $85,000 for private sector IT staffers. Federal IT workers also enjoy a greater sense of job security and satisfaction than their private sector counterparts, the survey found.

A March report by USA Today showed that federal employees earned more than private sector workers in 180 of 216 job fields, including computer information systems management. However, USA Today's analysis was based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2008, and several federal officials and government employee groups have argued that such claims are not based on "apples to apples" comparisons. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry said at a hearing last month that he has appointed a task force to provide more accurate data that confirms that federal employees do not earn higher salaries than private sector workers.

What is your response to these latest claims that federal IT professionals are earning an average of 10 percent more than their private sector counterparts? Are there additional factors, such as levels of education and/or responsibility, that may factor in when explaining the pay imbalance?