Most of the chief human capital officers of the federal government (formerly known as personnel directors) have stated that the system of pay grades and steps which federal employees have been living with for over half a century is out of date and must be replaced if the government is to successfully compete with the private sector for highly skilled workers.
They shared their views with the Partnership for the Public Service, which on July 19 issued a report entitled, Federal Human Capital: The Perfect Storm. However, those views mainly provide a “what can we do to keep the government from going under when the storm hits” focus to the real focus of the report. That’s clearly stated in a précis found on the Partnership’s web site (www.ourpublicservice.org):
“Over the next two years, our largest federal agencies project that they will hire nearly 193,000 new workers for ‘mission-critical’ jobs. While there are other federal jobs that will be filled during this time, including those in clerical and support positions, the jobs listed in this report constitute the bulk of our federal government’s hiring needs. These jobs cover almost every occupational field, will be available across the country and all of them advance the interests of the American people. This report confirms that no matter what your area of expertise, or where you live, if you are looking for a job where you can develop your professional skills and make a difference in the lives of others, the federal government has a job for you.
“In addition to sorting projected hires by occupational field, this report includes agency-by-agency hiring projections. It also provides background information for each agency, as well as information about hiring incentives such as student loan repayment, special internships and scholarships some agencies are using. The appendices include tips on how to obtain a federal job.
“Job seekers can use this report to identify what kinds of jobs will be available in their areas of expertise and what they need to do to land these jobs. Federal managers can use it to gain a better understanding of their recruiting challenges. And policy makers can use it to identify which talent gaps must be filled to ensure our government can effectively serve the American people.”
Whether or not you believe that the present pay system needs to be replaced, you’ll have to admit that adjustments will have to be made if the federal government is to compete with the private sector in filling ‘mission critical’ jobs. However, I’d like to offer two personal observations. First, there are a substantial number of jobs in the government that are well served by the current pay system, which has not been an impediment to hiring and keeping good people. Second, pay isn’t the only thing – and perhaps not the most important one – that draws qualified people to public service.
