Agencies Join Forces to Recruit

Federal agencies will need to fill more than 11,500 mission-critical information technology jobs during the next three years, and they must be prepared to meet the high demand for the talent, particularly given the increasing eligibility for retirement among federal workers and insufficient IT talent pipelines, according to a new report by the Partnership for Public Service.

Since 2002, the federal IT workforce has increased 57 percent from approximately 46,000 to nearly 72,000 jobs, the report found. But as the government comes to depend even more on technology to deliver services and seeks to offset the retirements and normal attrition of federal IT workers, the demand for IT expertise has reached a new level of intensity, the report states. For example, more than 11,500 mission-critical IT jobs (16 percent of the total IT workforce) will need to be filled over the next three years, with agencies like the Defense and Homeland Security departments showing the greatest demand for IT talent.

The report also found that agencies will face even greater needs as an unprecedented number of IT workers become eligible to retire, particularly at agencies like the Housing and Urban Development and Agriculture departments and the Social Security Administration. As of 2009, more than 9,800 professionals (14 percent) in mission-critical IT jobs were eligible to retire, with nearly 16,500 (23 percent) eligible by 2012.

Agencies also will face the challenge of finding sufficient talent to fill new positions, the report found. Entry-level IT hires as a percentage of all new IT hires have decreased by nearly 10 percent over the past four years, and agencies are struggling to hire entry-level and mid-level talent in several IT areas, including cybersecurity and IT management. Aside from the fact that fewer U.S. students are majoring in science and technology disciplines, agencies are hampered by complex hiring processes, competition with the private sector and rigid compensation packages that often deter federal job seekers, the report states.

The Partnership recommended that agencies take a holistic approach to attracting and retaining IT talent, first by identifying what skills and competencies are needed over the next three to five years. Agencies also should proactively recruit entry-level IT talent, use special hiring authorities and internship programs, develop robust onboarding programs for new employees, and identify financial and nonfinancial incentives to retain them. Agencies also should analyze attrition rates and other trends and work collaboratively to share best practices to better market federal jobs, the report states.

Release of the report coincides with the launch of the Partnership's FedRecruit: IT program, which is designed to help federal agencies to work collaboratively to recruit, hire and retain entry-level IT workers in the federal government. The Partnership announced Monday that agencies participating in the program are: the Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Agriculture and Air Force departments, the Social Security Administration, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.