Why would anyone choose to work for the Federal Government now?

I asked my wife who happens to work for the state of Minnesota. It's not federal, but I thought her answer applied:

"I choose to work for the government because I want to be at the forefront of high-quality, methodologically-sound labor market research and analysis. Minnesota's Labor Market Information Office is the most well-respected in the county. I know the work I do absolutely makes a difference - directly and indirectly - to the lives of Minnesota job seekers and businesses. The question should be: why wouldn't you want to work for the best?"

Because it's a major employer where you live.

Most people work wherever they can and have little to no choice in the matter, given other constraints in their lives and abilities.

Granted, the stability gap between private sector and government employment is smaller, but there is still a gap favoring government employment. Also, those folks knew they would be called back; it was just a matter of when. Layoffs in the private sector tend to be permanent - or at least of longer duration. And those folks knew there was a possibility of back pay - non-existent for laid-off employees in the private sector.

For most folks, I doubt that the pros/cons of government employment will change significantly, once the dust settles and they consider the alternatives - especially in areas where the government is the only or major employer.

> The biggest result of the government shutdown for me is this: in a world where you might be laid off without pay for 3 weeks at random from your government job, why would anyone want to work for the government now?

This whole premise is a bit silly. How about you were only temporarily furloughed, not fired, for two weeks, and this was the first time it has happened in 17 years. I'd take those job security odds.