With sufficient experience, they may be hired to manage a small government and often move on to manage progressively larger governments over time. Job Outlook Little, if any, growth is expected in the number of State or Federal Government chief executives and legislators through the year 2006. Few new governments at any level are likely to form, and the number of chief executives and legislators in existing governments rarely changes. Some increase will occur at the local level as counties, cities, and towns take on new responsibilities. New positions will develop as cities and counties turn to professional management to deal with growth, Federal regulations, and long-range planning, and volunteer positions are converted to paid positions.
Elections give newcomers the chance to unseat incumbents or to fill vacated positions.
In many elections, there is substantial competition, although the level of competition varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from year to year. Earnings Earnings of public administrators vary widely, depending on the size of the government unit and on whether the job is part time, full time and year round, or full time for only a few months a year. In 6 States, legislators received a daily salary plus an allowance for expenses while legislatures were in session. Two States paid no expenses and only nominal daily salaries, while 2 States paid no salary at all but did pay a daily expense allowance. Salaries and the expense allowance were generally higher in the larger States.