In 1960 one out of eight persons in the work force was employed by the government. By 1980 this figure had increased to one in six. Careers in the public sector continue to expand exponentially as government spending continues to grow. Generally, public administrators are clustered in two areas -managers and analysts. Managers exist at many levels in an organization, from key executives at the top to the first-line supervisor.
Managers implement policies and programs in public institutions.
It takes the talents and skills of both program and staff managers to deliver the services the public expects and demands. The program manager is the doer in an organization. Program managers must be equipped to deal with a variety of issues, such as establishing objectives, stimulating productivity and stimulating workers. Staff managers support the work of program offices. The areas of responsibility for staff managers include budgeting and financial management, personnel and labor relations and management information systems.