Government jobs are almost guaranteed for life. No one can really fire a government worker. Government jobs are not well paid, but they give you a pension that does not magically disappear after years of service, and you can't be fired one year shy of achieving said pension, which is a favorite trick of the private sector.
Working for a large private corporation, you are subject to the whims of the corporation, including cancellation by co-workers if you are not what they consider "politically correct", and these days, you can even be cancelled for things you put on facebook when you were 12. You can actually be fired if your co-workers dislike you.