Public or Private? An Exploratory Study of Career Preferences Among Business and MPA Students in Norway

This exploratory study examines preferences for public- and private-sector employment among two groups of students in Norway with different educational and professional backgrounds: 145 bachelor’s students in business administration and 56 Master of Public Administration (MPA) students. Cross-sectional survey data from two higher education institutions were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, comparisons of means, and linear regression. The groups differed substantially in their sector preferences and in the importance they attached to several job attributes. However, the research design cannot separate differences related to the programmes from differences arising from self-selection, age, work experience, occupational background, or career stage. Business students showed a stronger preference for the private sector and placed more emphasis on status and prestige. MPA students showed a stronger preference for the public sector and placed more emphasis on societal contribution and teamwork. Societal contribution was positively associated with a public-sector preference in both groups, although the separate models do not show whether the associations were equally strong. The groups did not differ in their ratings of the combined measure of job security and flexibility. Norway’s welfare and labour-market institutions are discussed as a possible contextual explanation, but this mechanism was not tested. The study provides an exploratory and context-sensitive account of how public-service motives and more self-regarding job attributes may coexist in career preferences.