Federal IT workers to receive more pay
Computer specialists and other information technology employees with the federal government will receive pay increases ranging from 7 percent to 33 percent in a move designed to make the federal civil service more competitive in the labor market for skilled IT workers. Based on agency staffing needs and employment trends, the pay hike is tailored to help the federal government recruit employees for entry-level IT positions.
Janice R. Lachance, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), said the pay hike will bolster the recruitment and retention of technology workers. This action also will turn the federal government into a more attractive employer to individuals in the powerful and fast-growing technology field.
"The pay increase is a shot of adrenaline that will ensure departments and agencies of the federal government can attract high-quality, high-tech individuals who will have an immediate and a lasting impact on the business of government," said Lachance, whose agency collaborated with various stakeholders on IT pay.
Raise goes into effect January 2001
The pay increase places approximately 33,000 federal IT workers on special salary schedules that are separate from those of their white-collar colleagues in other jobs. The pay increase is effective in January 2001.
"I am very excited about our prospects for competing with other employers for top graduates in computer science," said Lachance. "I think we'll even be able to entice some current, non-federal employees to give public service a try. And when you also consider the retirement, health insurance and family-friendly benefits packages we offer to our employees, the federal government compares very favorably with other employers."
In addition to computer specialists, computer engineers and computer scientists also will benefit by this action to increase pay. Approximately 35 percent of computer specialist jobs - by far the most widely held federal IT occupation - are located in the Washington-Baltimore region.
Federal recruitment and retention difficulties have been more pronounced at the lower grade levels of the General Schedule, the pay schedule for white-collar employees. Surveys also indicate that the wage gap between federal and non-federal IT workers is greatest at entry-level positions.
Action to help attract younger workers
One key demographic that factored into the decision to increase federal IT pay is the age bracket of current employees. In March 2000, 55 percent of computer specialists, computer engineers and computer scientists were age 45 or older, while only about 10 percent were under age 35. The increase in pay, OPM believes, will encourage younger, critically skilled employees to join the federal government.
In addition to the relief the IT pay increase will bring to staffing needs, agencies may also use other incentives, such as recruitment bonuses and retention allowances, to lure technology employees into government service or to retain employees who have critical skills.
Edited by Bob Arguero, Managing Editor, GovCon