Government Service Will Be Cool Again

There is a serious need to attract large numbers of federal workers over the next few years. The Partnership for Public Service, which focuses on talent in the federal sector, said that by 2012, "federal agencies will lose nearly 530,000 employees, many of whom hold leadership and critical skills positions." Many jobs, of course, need to be filled much sooner than that.

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released the Plum Book (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/2008/index.html), a list of more than 7,200 upper level jobs that will be available for Obama to fill as early as in January.

Some of the gigs sound like real gems -- the Pentagon's president of defense acquisition university, or the Transportation Department's director of impaired driving and occupant protection, or the Transportation Department's always popular director of radionavigation and positioning staff.

If the fancy titles in the Plum Book don't impress you, but you are drawn to really tough jobs, check out the Council for Excellence in Government's Prune Book. When the Council releases it tomorrow, it will list the 100 toughest gigs in government, including chief acquisition officer, chief financial officer, chief human capital officer and chief information officer in all departments.

The folks who fill these roles and many others often are derided, generally indirectly, by politicians who love to dump on Washington even as they beg voters to send them to here.

"I think the first rule that would make it cool is to stop . . . bureaucrat bashing," Bonosaro said.

Much of the bashing started with President Reagan, said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) who represents many federal workers.

"In fact, beginning with Ronald Reagan, people beat up on government so bad that it was enough to even chase people away from government," she said at the Trotter meeting.

Jarrett believes an Obama administration can change that.

"I think a lot of people in government get a bad rap. And it's not their fault, it's the leadership at the top," she said without directly mentioning Bush. "That's who sets the tone, that's who charts the course, that's who develops the job descriptions. So I think that will change under his leadership."

Contact Joe Davidson at federaldiary@washpost.com.