Compensation for IT workers gets closer look

The CIO Council soon will begin looking at how information technology compensation

in the federal government compares with compensation in the private sector,

and the resutlting recommendations could include a new pay scale for IT

occupations.

The National Academy of Public Administration will conduct the study for

the CIO Council within the next 30 days. It will review things such as pay,

salary progression rates and at what career levels the greatest compensation

discrepancies exist among federal IT workers.

The study will result in recommendations aimed at helping agencies recruit

and retain IT employees.

The study will be done in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management,

which in a separate study is looking at offering special salary rates for

IT occupations. It will consider things such as whether salary adjustments

need to be made on a nationwide basis or just in certain locations and whether

adjustments should be made for entry-level positions, senior level positions

or across the board.

OPM plans to make its recommendations to the CIO Council in the fall with

changes going into affect in January, according to Henry Romero, associate

director for work force, compensation and performance at OPM, speaking at

the FOSE conference in Washington, D.C.

On a larger scale, OPM plans by the end of next year to propose changes

on strategic compensation reform for all positions.