Among large agencies (at least 15,000 employees) NASA has topped the listings for 11 straight years, this year followed by HHS. Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffNASA, GAO and the Congressional Budget Office topped the rankings in the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” report from the Partnership for Public Service among large, medium and small agencies.
Among large agencies (at least 15,000 employees) NASA—now tops for 11 straight years—was followed by HHS, the intelligence community, Commerce, VA, Transportation, Treasury, Office of the Secretary Defense and related activities, Interior and Air Force. Among midsized agencies (1,000-15,000 employees) GAO—tops for the third straight year—was followed by NSF, SEC, GSA, FERC, SBA, EPA, Energy, Smithsonian Institution and FCC.
Among small agencies (fewer than 1,000 employees) the CBO overtook last year’s top agency, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which in turn was followed by the Office of Special Counsel, National Endowment for the Humanities, FLRA, Farm Credit Administration, U.S. International Trade commission, Surface Transportation Board, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Selective Service System. The PBGC’s office of negotiations and restructuring led among agency subcomponents.
The rankings are based in large part on replies in the annual Federal Employee Survey to questions that commonly are seen as a proxy for morale, regarding willingness to recommend the organization as a place to work, job satisfaction and satisfaction with the organization.
The group released only the top 10 in each category, with full rankings to come in several weeks in a ranking system that is considered a bellwether in the federal community. Highly-ranked agencies commonly tout their status in their public outreach, including for recruiting purposes, while lower-ranked ones often find themselves called to Congress to explain why.
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