IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/edt/jsserr/v12y2025i1p11-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perspectives on public and private sector and students' choice of career

Author

Listed:
  • Leiv OPSTAD

    (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, (NTNU) Business School, Trondheim, Norway)

Abstract

This study investigates students' perceptions of the public sector and examines how these views influence their career preferences. Data were collected via a questionnaire distributed to 190 students in Norway, comprising undergraduate business students and experienced public-sector employees enrolled in a Master of Public Administration (MPA) programme. Employing quantitative methods, including t-tests and correlation analysis, the study identifies significant differences in attitudes towards the public sector between these two groups, as well as between students aspiring to careers in the public versus the private sector. The public sector is generally perceived as more bureaucratic, less flexible, and less conducive to rapid career progression. By contrast, the private sector is associated with greater efficiency and enhanced individual career opportunities. In particular, access to a professional network is seen as highly advantageous in the private sector. These insights are especially relevant for policymakers and public-sector employers seeking to attract talent in an increasingly competitive labour market, particularly amid ongoing workforce shortages.

Suggested Citation

  • Leiv OPSTAD, 2025. "Perspectives on public and private sector and students' choice of career," Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Department of Communication, Journalism and Education Sciences, University of Craiova, vol. 12(1), pages 11-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:edt:jsserr:v:12:y:2025:i:1:p:11-20
    DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15804502
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://sserr.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/sserr-12-1-11-20.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5281/zenodo.15804502?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marianne Bertrand & Robin Burgess & Arunish Chawla & Guo Xu, 2020. "The Glittering Prizes: Career Incentives and Bureaucrat Performance," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 87(2), pages 626-655.
    2. Antonis Adam & Manthos Delis & Pantelis Kammas, 2011. "Public sector efficiency: leveling the playing field between OECD countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 163-183, January.
    3. Marisa Salanova & Hedy Acosta-Antognoni & Susana Llorens & Pascale Le Blanc, 2021. "We Trust You! A Multilevel-Multireferent Model Based on Organizational Trust to Explain Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-21, April.
    4. H. Latan & C.J. Chiappetta Jabbour & Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa Jabbour & M. Ali & V. Pereira, 2022. "Career Satisfaction in the Public Sector: Implications for a More Sustainable and Socially Responsible Human Resource Management," Post-Print hal-04276061, HAL.
    5. Daniele Checchi & Alessandra Fenizia & Claudio Lucifora, 2021. "PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS: Working in the public sector in Europe and the US," DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza def107, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    6. Roshni Das, 2023. "Does public service motivation predict performance in public sector organizations? A longitudinal science mapping study," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 1237-1271, September.
    7. Zeger Van der Wal, 2017. "Small Countries, Big Performers: In Search of Shared Strategic Public Sector HRM Practices in Successful Small Countries," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 443-458, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Afonso, António & Alves, José & Monteiro, Sofia, 2024. "Beyond borders: Assessing the influence of Geopolitical tensions on sovereign risk dynamics," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. James Alm & Denvil Duncan, 2014. "Estimating Tax Agency Efficiency," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 92-110, September.
    3. António Afonso & José Alves, 2023. "Are fiscal consolidation episodes helpful for public sector efficiency?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(31), pages 3547-3560, July.
    4. Huitfeldt, Ingrid & Kostøl, Andreas R. & Nimczik, Jan & Weber, Andrea, 2023. "Internal labor markets: A worker flow approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 233(2), pages 661-688.
    5. Ant—nio Afonso & João Tovar Jalles & Ana Venâncio, 2023. "Government spending efficiency, measurement and applications: A cross-country efficiency dataset," Chapters, in: António Afonso & João Tovar Jalles & Ana Venâncio (ed.), Handbook on Public Sector Efficiency, chapter 3, pages 44-71, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Susana Llorens & Marisa Salanova & María José Chambel & Pedro Torrente & Rui P. Ângelo, 2022. "Organizational Drivers of Burnout and Work Engagement: A Multilevel Study in Portuguese Firefighter Brigades," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Fabien Canolle & Darijana Antonić & António Casa Nova & Anatoliy Goncharuk & Paulo Melo & Vítor Raposo & Didier Vinot, 2022. "Advancement of Efficiency Evaluation for Healthcare," Post-Print hal-03586992, HAL.
    8. Benjamin Sahel & Antonio Scalia & Luana Zaccaria, 2021. "Career concerns and peer effects in institutional tournaments: Evidence from ECB reserve currency portfolios," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 50(1), pages 47-73, March.
    9. Kalaj, Jozefina & Rogger, Daniel & Somani, Ravi, 2022. "Bureaucrat time-use: Evidence from a survey experiment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    10. Jiankun Yang & Xiaochen Gong, 2024. "Promotion incentives and water pollution control in the context of environment tournaments: Evidence on the age of officials from a fuzzy regression discontinuity design," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(4), pages 2548-2565, June.
    11. Shwu-Huei Huang & Ming-Miin Yu & Ming-Shenq Hwang & Yu-Shan Wei & Ming-Huei Chen, 2017. "Efficiency of Tax Collection and Tax Management in Taiwan's Local Tax Offices," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 620-648, October.
    12. Tom Nicholas, 2023. "Status and mortality: Is there a Whitehall effect in the United States?," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(4), pages 1191-1230, November.
    13. António Afonso & José Alves, 2022. "Does government spending efficiency improve fiscal sustainability?," Working Papers REM 2022/0226, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    14. Basiglio, Stefania & Foresta, Alessandra & Turati, Gilberto, 2024. "Impatience and crime. Evidence from the NLSY97," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    15. Olivier Marie & Thomas Post & Zihan Ye & Xiaopeng Zou, 2024. "From Two Heads to One: The Short-Run Effects of the Recentralization of Political Power in Rural China," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 24-040/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    16. Olanubi, Sijuola Orioye & Osode, Oluwanbepelumi Esther & Adegboye, Abiodun Adewale, 2020. "Public sector efficiency in the design of a euro-area social benefit scheme," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 615-627.
    17. Afonso, António & Tovar Jalles, João & Venâncio, Ana, 2022. "Do financial markets reward government spending efficiency?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    18. Callen, Michael & Gulzar, Saad & Hasanain, Ali & Khan, Muhammad Yasir & Rezaee, Arman, 2023. "The political economy of public sector absence," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    19. Stephanie Meinhard & Niklas Potrafke, 2012. "The Globalization–Welfare State Nexus Reconsidered," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 271-287, May.
    20. Boitani, Andrea & Dragomirescu-Gaina, Catalin, 2023. "News and narratives: A cointegration analysis of Russian economic policy uncertainty," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:edt:jsserr:v:12:y:2025:i:1:p:11-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dan Valeriu Voinea (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://cis01.central.ucv.ro/litere/cadr_juridic/departament_comunicare_jurnalism_stiinte_ale_educatiei/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.