Public sector vs private sector pay: the full package
The short answer: the typical full-time public sector worker earned £862.20 a week in April 2026, against £794.40 in the private sector, according to the ONS. That is about £44,834 against £41,309 a year. But the bigger difference is the rest of the package: public sector pensions, sick pay and holiday are usually worth far more.
The headline numbers
The averages don't compare like with like. The public sector employs a higher share of graduates and professionals, such as doctors, teachers and nurses, and has fewer of the lowest-paid jobs in retail and hospitality. When researchers compare similar people doing similar work, the gap shrinks and in some groups reverses.
Who comes out ahead
- Lower-paid and mid-level roles usually do better in the public sector, especially outside London. Admin staff, healthcare assistants and support workers are on national pay scales with London weighting on top.
- Highly qualified and senior roles usually do better in the private sector. Lawyers, IT specialists, finance staff and senior managers can often earn much more privately.
- Region matters. National pay scales go further where living costs and private wages are lower. In London and the South East the public sector looks less generous.
Public sector pay rises have also outpaced the private sector since 2025, after a long period of falling behind. See our public sector pay calculators for each pay scale.
Public sector pay by role
Most public sector pay is set on national scales, so you can see exactly where you would start and where you could end up:
| Role | Starting pay | Top of the scale | Pension built in year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse (NHS Band 5) | £32,073 | £39,043 | £594 a year |
| Teacher (main pay range) | £34,069 | £46,940 | £598 a year |
| Police constable | £32,255 | £52,015 | £583 a year |
| Firefighter | £31,539 | £40,358 | £528 a year |
| Prison officer (Band 3) | £34,928 | £36,778 | £810 a year |
England (and Wales for police and prison officers), 2026/27 scales, without London weighting or allowances. Prison officer pay includes the 20% unsocial hours allowance, and prison officers are in the Civil Service (alpha) scheme. Many roles add overtime, shift pay and allowances on top.
The pension is the big difference
Most public sector workers are in defined benefit schemes. Each year you build up a slice of your pay as a guaranteed pension that rises with inflation, for life:
| Scheme | Pension built up each year | On £35,000 | Normal pension age |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS (2015 scheme) | 1/54 of pay | £648 a year | State Pension age |
| Teachers’ Pension | 1/57 of pay | £614 a year | State Pension age |
| Civil Service (alpha) | 2.32% of pay | £812 a year | State Pension age |
| Local Government (LGPS) | 1/49 of pay | £714 a year | State Pension age |
| Police (2015) | 1/55.3 of pay | £633 a year | 60 |
| Firefighters (2015) | 1/59.7 of pay | £586 a year | 60 |
Each year's slice then rises with inflation while you are still working, and in some schemes by more: an extra 1.5% a year in the NHS scheme and 1.6% in the Teachers' scheme. Employers pay roughly a fifth to over a quarter of salary to fund these schemes. In the private sector, most employers pay 3% to 5% into a pot whose value depends on investment returns.
Public sector workers do pay more in: about 5% to 12.5% of pay depending on earnings in most schemes, and up to about 17% for police and firefighters, against 5% in most private schemes. But tax relief means it costs less than that, and the employer contribution is several times bigger. See is the NHS pension worth it.
A rough package comparison
An illustration: a public sector job at £35,000 where the employer puts about 22% into the pension, against a private job at £40,000 with a 5% employer contribution:
| Public | Private | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | £35,000 | £40,000 |
| Employer pension | £7,700 | £2,000 |
| Salary plus employer pension | £42,700 | £42,000 |
A £5,000 lower salary ends up roughly level, and that is before sick pay and holiday. The public sector worker will pay more into the pension themselves, so their take-home is lower; whether that trade is worth it depends on how much you value a guaranteed income in retirement.
Sick pay, holiday and security
- Sick pay: NHS and civil service staff get up to 6 months on full pay and 6 on half pay once they have enough service. Many private employers pay only Statutory Sick Pay of £123.25 a week. See company sick pay.
- Holiday: NHS staff start on 27 days plus bank holidays, rising to 33 after 10 years. The legal minimum is 28 days including bank holidays.
- Parental pay: public sector schemes usually top up maternity pay well above the statutory rate.
- Pay progression: many public jobs move up a pay scale automatically each year until the top of the band.
- Security: redundancy is less common and redundancy pay is often more generous.
What the private sector offers instead
Private employers can pay more for scarce skills, give bonuses and shares, move people up faster and negotiate salaries individually. Some offer generous pensions and benefits too, so check the actual offer rather than assuming. See how to compare two job offers and what employer pension matching is worth.
Related reading: mortgages for nurses, teachers and police and what counts as a good salary in the UK.
Pay figures are ONS medians for full-time employees and are provisional. Scheme details are simplified; each scheme’s own rules decide what you get.
Sources
Common questions
Is the public sector paid more than the private sector?
On median full-time weekly pay, yes: £862.20 in the public sector against £794.40 in the private sector in April 2026, according to the ONS. But public sector jobs have more graduates and fewer low-paid roles, so like-for-like comparisons are closer.
Who earns more in the public sector?
Lower and middle earners usually do better in the public sector. Highly qualified people, such as lawyers, IT specialists and senior managers, usually earn more in the private sector.
How much is a public sector pension worth?
A lot. Employers pay roughly a fifth to over a quarter of salary into the main schemes, and the pension is guaranteed and rises with inflation. A typical private employer pays 3% to 5%.
Do public sector workers pay more into their pension?
Usually, yes. In the NHS, teachers’, civil service and local government schemes you pay about 5% to 12.5% of pay depending on what you earn; police and firefighters pay more, up to about 17%. Most private workplace pensions take 5%.
Is public sector pay higher in London?
Public sector pay is set nationally with London weighting on top, so it tends to look better outside London and the South East, where private pay is lower.
How do I compare a public and a private job offer?
Compare take-home pay, then add the value of the pension, holiday and sick pay. The public sector pension alone can be worth more than a several-thousand-pound gap in salary.