Tech Jobs are Tops for Work-Life Balance

Damn, it feels good to be a data scientist.

Glassdoor, the website you use to glean feedback about a prospective employer, released its 25 Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance study today, and tech jobs comprise more than half of it.

Data scientists reported the highest work-life balance rating in a list that included SEO managers, UX designers, digital marketing managers, Web designers and developers, software engineers and data analysts.

Rating were based on a 5-point scale – a “1.0” translating to very dissatisfied and a “5.0” meaning very satisfied. Tech jobs seem to be attractive because they are in demand, can often be done remotely and frequently command high salaries, The Washington Post posited.

That data scientists take the cake shouldn’t be a surprise. The Harvard Business Review called it the “sexiest job of the 21st century.” DJ Patil, the White House chief data scientist, noted earlier this year that people who put “data scientist” in their LinkedIn profiles can actually “make more money.”  

However, the government may be missing the boat on tech talent precisely because of these factors.

While Glassdoor’s data glamorizes tech-related jobs, data from the Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Viewpoint Survey released earlier this month paints a bleak picture for IT specialists.

Budget woes, training cuts and threats of a government shutdown all contributed to IT specialists reporting the lowest employee engagement scores among mission-critical occupations in government. More than a third of federal IT specialists said their agencies can’t recruit top tech talent.

Glassdoor’s data should concern the government in a big way. The private sector knows how to recruit, retain and reward top tech talent. Does the government?

(Image via Sudowoodo/Shutterstock.com)