Public sector isn’t paid more than private

The Toronto Star:

The stereotype of the fat-cat civil servant is unfounded, says a report from the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Male public servants generally are paid less than men working in the private sector, says the study released this week.

Women are paid less than men in both sectors, but the gap is much narrower for women with government jobs than those at private companies, the study concluded.

“Overall average pay levels. . . are very similar,” says the report that analyzed Statistics Canada earnings data in 1.9 million records from the 2006 long-form census.

“Average annual pay in the public sector was $49,655 — 0.5 per cent higher than the private sector average of $49,407,” concluded the study titled “Battle of the Wages: Who Gets Paid More, Public or Private Sector Workers?”

“There is a widespread misconception that public sector workers are paid more than their private sector counterparts,” national CUPE president Paul Moist said in a release. “This is being used as fuel in. . . attacks on public sector jobs, wages (and) benefits.”

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