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Americans Show Renewed Interest in Federal Service
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), May 10, 2009 - The number of Americans who view working for the federal government as a desirable career option is growing substantially, according to new nationwide Gallup data obtained by the Partnership for Public Service.
The online Gallup public opinion survey found that 40 percent of American workers are open to considering federal careers, up from only 24 percent in 2006. Moreover, 66 percent said they would consider applying for a federal job if they were seeking employment in the next two years.
The new interest comes at the start of a four-year cycle in which the government will hire nearly 600,000 workers due to retirements, normal attrition, the economic stimulus package and other new spending, according to estimates by the Partnership.
"We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to recruit a new generation to public service, and to revitalize our federal government that has been downgraded, demoralized and wrongly portrayed as the problem instead of part of the solution," said Max Stier, the president and CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.
The primary reasons cited by Gallup for Americans considering federal employment tended to be more practical than mission-oriented, perhaps reflecting the current state of the economy. Benefits, job security, and work-life balance topped the list of reasons for considering federal employment.
But the Gallup data also showed evidence of an altruistic bent, and suggestions that President Obama's call to public service may be having some impact.
Among those who say they would consider applying for a federal job, 65 percent say one reason is to help fix America's problems, and 71 percent cited a chance to make a difference as a reason to work for the federal government.
The release of the Gallup data coincides with Public Service Recognition Week, a time set aside by Congress to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county and local government employees. As part of the celebration, the Partnership for Public Service and the Public Employees Round-table (PER) are hosting an event on the National Mall from May 7-10 to educate citizens about the work of government employees.
Despite the increased interest in government service, 45 percent of those who have ever applied for a federal job said they found the federal job application process difficult, and 47 percent reported it took much longer to find out whether they were being offered a position compared to other jobs they had applied for in the past year.
"The hiring process is broken. Government needs to hire faster and better," said Stier. "Applicants must be given timely information telling them where they are in the process and what they can expect."
Among those who would not consider applying for a government job, more than 80 percent say it is because government is too bureaucratic. In addition, 60 percent of this group would not apply because they think the government does not offer opportunities in their field.
The federal government hires more than 150,000 people per year across the nation and offers a wide range of career opportunities, including nurses, historians, engineers, scientists, law enforcement and security personnel, pharmacists, information technology specialists, accountants, contract specialists and workers in many other fields.
"Clearly the government must do a better job of letting people know that it needs a wide array of talent, and offers opportunities for individuals in virtually every occupation to make a difference," said Stier.
Some of the Gallup findings parallel a separate Partnership for Public Service survey of 258 career counselors and staff at 195 colleges and universities.
This survey revealed that 90 percent of the counselors believe the students they work with are very or moderately interested in federal jobs or internships. In addition, 74 percent of the career advisors said the interest level in federal service among college students has increased since the November election.
The Partnership survey also found that 90 percent of the respondents said students had a moderate or great deal of interest in government service because of a lack of job opportunities in the private and nonprofit sectors. But 74 percent said student interest is also motivated by the federal government's role in addressing national challenges like the economy and health care, and 71 percent believe that students are attracted to government because of President Obama's call to serve the nation.
Unhappy? Maybe It's Unemployment
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), May 10, 2009 - Unemployment, not surprisingly, can have a negative effect on people's past and future assessments of their personal well-being, but so does inflation, based on an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
That's one conclusion by Nestor Gandelman, a professor of economics at Universidad ORT Uruguay, and Ruben Hernandez-Murillo, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Their research appears in May/June issue of Review, the St. Louis Fed's bi-monthly journal of economic and business issues.
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Continued
Using information gleaned from a dataset from the 2006 Gallup World Poll, Gandelman and Hernandez-Murillo examined the determinants and the effects of inflation and unemployment on people's personal assessment of their past, present and future well-being, as well as assessments of their countries' past, current and future well-being.
They also examined two aspects of the "happiness" data that have not been previously researched. First, they compared personal and country evaluations, testing for the "better-than-average" effect. "This effect refers to the tendency to overestimate their personal traits or abilities - for example, overrating one's looks or their ability to perform a task," said Gandelman and Hernandez-Murillo.
Among other things, their analysis found that men tend to be more critical of their situation and the expectations about the future and they tend to be more critical of the past situation of their country. Their research also suggests that satisfaction with present life is a decreasing function up to 81 years of age. The turning point for past life satisfaction is around 40. "This may reflect a tendency of older people to better evaluate their past," they said.
Gandelman and Hernandez-Murillo also found:
- Employed people tend to report higher assessments of personal and
country well-being than unemployed people, but their assessments for
the future with respect to both is lower than those who are
unemployed.
- Urban dwellers tend to show higher individual assessment of life
satisfaction than those in rural areas, although there was no
significant difference between the way the two viewed their country's
well-being.
- As expected, poor people tend to evaluate their past, current and
future well-being as worse than rich people, as well as their
assessment of their country's well-being. "More interesting," they
said, "poor people expect their future situation to improve more than
rich people do."
- Inflation and unemployment worsen people's evaluations of present
well-being relative to the future.
Continued Next Column
Archived Stories:
 Previous College Grads Advise Class of 2009: Pursue Passion Over Money & Job Security
Pay Increases for IT Management Despite Turbulent Economy
Most Employees Willing to Save Jobs with Schedule Change or Pay Cut
CFOs Cite Leadership, Talent Are Keys to Staying Ahead of the Competition
Half of Workers Who Were Laid Off in the Last Three Months Found Jobs
New Survey of U.S. Employees Reveals Surprising Level of Optimism
Significant and Surprising Changes Among Men and Women At Work and At Home
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