While the federal government’s engagement and satisfaction score improved in 2023, agencies still fell short when compared with the private sector. According to data provided by Mercer, 77% of private sector respondents would recommend their organization as a good place to work, while only 67.5% of federal employees would do so. This represents a gap of 9.5 points between the two sectors. Furthermore, when asked how satisfied they are with their organization, 75% of private sector employees responded positively compared with only 62.3% of federal employees—a deficit of 12.7 points.

Although the gap between the federal government and the private sector has persisted for many years, it is notable that the federal government is improving at a faster pace. In 2023, the federal government saw a 3-point improvement on whether employees would recommend their organization as a good place to work compared with a 2-point improvement for the private sector. Furthermore, federal employees’ satisfaction with their respective organizations increased by 2.1 points in 2023, while the private sector score remained the same.