Learn English – What’s the term for “government worker”

terminology

I'm looking for a term in English to describe a person working for the government of a country (for example France).

I found "official" and in particular "government official" in wikipedia., though I'm not 100% sure it's the term I want. Does this include for example, teachers in public schoools? All kind of workers, even at the lowest level of authority, for example a cleaning guy in a public school?

This question came up because "oficial" (in spanish, my tongue) has some authority attached to it.

Best Answer

They are public sector employees (as opposed to private sector employees)

The public sector is the part of the economy concerned with providing various governmental services. The composition of the public sector varies by country, but in most countries the public sector includes such services as the military, police, infrastructure (public roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, etc.), public transit, public education, along with health care and those working for the government itself, such as elected officials. The public sector might provide services that a non-payer cannot be excluded from (such as street lighting), services which benefit all of society rather than just the individual who uses the service.

Businesses and organizations that are not part of the public sector are part of the private sector. The private sector is composed of the business sector, which is intended to earn a profit for the owners of the enterprise, and the voluntary sector, which includes charitable organisations.

— Wikipedia

Related Topic