Already knew that but now I have a number figure. This is where most of your tax dollars are going.

I'm aspiring to be a letter opener at Revenue Canada.

Public-sector workers much better-paid: study
Dec 02, 2008 06:14 PM
Ann Perry
Business Reporter

Public-sector workers earn substantially more than their private-sector counterparts in similar jobs, says a new study that urges governments to rein in wage increases and expand no-strike legislation to more workers as the economy slows.

The study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which represents small businesses across Canada, found federal government employees take home on average 17.3 per cent more than private-sector workers in comparable occupations. That translates into an average annual pay of $60,924 for those federal employees, compared with $51,947 in the private sector.

Paid benefits, such as employer pension contributions, and unpaid benefits, such as shorter average work weeks in the public sector, pushed the federal government compensation differential to more than 40 per cent, the study noted.

The study, which was based on 2006 census data and compared full-time, full-year employment earnings in approximately 200 occupations found in both public and private sectors, also showed a 7.9 per cent wage gap at the provincial level. On average, provincial employees included in the study earn $52,863, compared with $49,002 in similar private-sector jobs. In Ontario, that premium amounts to 13 per cent.

With a slowing economy, some argue a robust public-sector workforce is needed to pick up the slack. But the CFIB says wages should be evened out.

"With the federal government facing the real prospect of a deficit going forward, and Ontario facing a projected $500 million deficit what's needed is a reality check by our political leaders to shrink the wage disparity between the public and private sectors," CFIB president Catherine Swift said in a statement. "It is especially urgent to do so when the economy is so fragile and the private sector is facing layoffs and business closings."

In his economic update last week, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty proposed limiting wage increases for the federal public service.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/547257