through much of the recession, individuals working in public service jobs have enjoyed greater job security than many employees in the private sector. given some of the recent information coming out of wisconsin and california, it's no wonder that some people are questioning how and why some public service workers are being paid such hefty wages for jobs that would pay much less in the private sector - some positions which may even require relatively little skill. considering that the national average salary is around $41,000 per year, some public service jobs pay far more than that and typically come with good benefits, regular pay increases and job security.