Federal managers trying to convince an applicant to take a
federal job instead of pursuing opportunities in the private
sector often have to argue that while the federal job may
pay less, the value of the non-cash benefits on the federal
side of the ledger is higher. Military recruiters have long
found themselves in the same position.
A recent Congressional Budget Office shows just how valuable
are the non-cash benefits on the military side of the
government. The report found that as of 2002 data, the total
compensation package to the average active duty military
member is just shy of six digits–$99,000. Of that, only
$43,000 was direct compensation, consisting not only of basic
pay but also of other cash benefits such as various bonuses
and allowances that military personnel get in certain
situations, plus the value of tax breaks on some of those
benefits.
Of the remaining $56,000, $29,000 was for health care,
$12,000 for installation-based benefits such as housing, child
care and access to commissaries, $8,000 was for accruing
retirement benefits, $5,000 for other veterans benefits and
the remainder was for various benefits including the
government contribution toward Social Security for service
members.
While CBO has not done a comparable study for the civil
service side, the military numbers could provide
ammunition–or at least food for thought–for anyone trying
to get an applicant to see beyond the salary figure.
FEDweek
Publisher, Don Mace
VP of Marketing, Kevin Couch
Website: hwww.fedweek.com
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