Job Switch From the Private Sector to the Public Sector: The Characteristics of the Switchers

While significant attention has been directed to the job switchers from the public sector to the private sector, there have been few studies about the job switchers in the opposite direction. This paper examines whether sector switchers’ characteristics from the private to the public sector are different from stayers. It is related to a broader set of questions that ask how employees’ characteristics and sector switching are related. The empirical analysis using the National Survey of College Graduates (2003, 2006, 2010, and 2013) shows the switchers’ characteristics. First, females and unmarried employees were more likely to switch their jobs from the private to the public sector from 2003 to 2006. However, these gender and marriage status differences became insignificant from 2010 to 2013. Second, black employees were more likely to move from the private to the public sector for the whole period. Third, the more educated employees seemed to have more freedom to change their private to public careers. Fourth, employees with experience in government-funded projects were more likely to switch jobs from the private to the public. Fifth, workers who showed a low satisfaction level in job security and considered PSM as an essential job principle were more likely to shift across sectors from the private to public. This paper’s findings highlight a neglected sector switch from private to public and open a window into the extent and characteristics of employees who switch their jobs from the private to the public sector.