This paper examines the determinants of outside applicants for federal
job openings using a variety of time-series, cross-sectional and panel
data sets. The main finding is that the application rate for government
jobs increases as the ratio of federal to private sector earnings
increases, but does not appear to be related to the relative level of
fringe benefits. Furthermore, an increase in the federal-private sector
earnings differential is associated with an increase in the average
quality of applicants for federal jobs. The paper discusses the
implications of these findings for wage determination and recruitment in
the federal government.