What is Federal Employment?

Federal employment comprises a multitude of job opportunities for residents of a country. Federal jobs are funded by tax payer dollars and created by federal agencies to serve the needs of a country's residents. Government-funded jobs fall into a large number of categories including education, public health, law enforcement and finance.

The definition of federal employment includes all jobs are directly funded by a country's government. Postal workers, teachers in public schools, police officers and social workers all fall into the category of federal employees. The goal of a federal employee is to meet the needs of some aspect of society. Education, health care, safety and protection, social health and disease control are just a few categories in the arena of federal jobs.

Funding for federal employees comes from tax payers of a country. Elected officials typically make important decisions about how much each job pays and the scope of the job description. The responsibility of federal employees is to the specified federal agency and to the people of a society who are funding them to provide societal services.

Federal employment is typically considered a more stable type of employment where the majority of residents meet their tax obligations and generate a constant stream of revenue. In recessive economies, private sector employees tend to lose their jobs before the impact reaches federal employees. In extremely difficult economic conditions, federal employment does suffer from instability as governments must cut back on spending, lower headcounts and decrease payroll expenditures.   

Federal jobs have distinct job descriptions and federal managers have lesser leeway in hiring or bending the rules in comparison to the private sector. Whereas a private sector manager can hire someone who does not have a specific number of years of experience or specialized training, many managers in the government sector must adhere to strict hiring guidelines.