Federal Diary Stephen Barr
The Federal Worker Next Door
Stephen Barr
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W ant to get to know your federal employee neighbors better?
In the nation's capital, here are a few things to keep in mind about government employees:
1 . Uncle Sam is the largest employer here, and about 10 percent of the federal civilian workforce is in the Washington area.
In the District, Maryland and Virginia, there are 336,000 civil service employees, more than 167,400 active-duty service members, 38,316 postal workers and thousands more in the intelligence community, the National Guard and reserves, the federal court system and working on Capitol Hill.
Many government workers stay in the area in retirement. There are more than 272,000 civil service retirees and countless military retirees. About 76,000 people in the region receive civil service retirement benefits as a surviving spouse or family member.
2 . As a workforce, they are more old than young. The average age is nearly 47.
Federal employees also are a diverse group: nearly 18 percent are African American, 7.8 percent are Hispanic, 5.3 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander and 2 percent are Native American. Women make up about 44 percent of the federal workforce.
3 . Contrary to popular perception, most government workers are not paper-pushing bureaucrats in boring jobs.
More than 50 percent of federal employees work in professional, management, business and financial occupations, compared with 29 percent in the private sector, according to the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. The government likes to hire lawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists, air-traffic controllers, computer specialists and criminal investigators.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Government Accountability Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, NASA and the National Science Foundation are among the "best places to work," according to an index compiled by the Partnership for Public Service and American University.
4 . Don't be surprised to discover that your federal neighbor is home every other Friday or telecommutes at least one day a week. A number of federal agencies offer alternative work schedules and telework days under the general umbrella of providing family-friendly policies.
5 . Uncle Sam pays better than he once did. In the Washington area, the estimated median federal salary is $90,698.
