Digital Government
Tapping Tech for Disabled Workers
Federal agencies should beef up training and technical support to better equip their managers with the tools needed to effectively hire, retain and manage employees with disabilities, according to a new <a href="http://www.teleworkexchange.com/unnecessarybarriers/">survey</a> by the Federal Managers Association and Telework Exchange, an organization founded and operated by the public relations firm O'Keeffe & Company in Alexandria, Va., which has clients who sell telework equipment and services to government.
Digital Government
Silicon Valley Losing its Luster?
Silicon Valley is losing its position as a top area for technology workers, particularly as some of the area's top companies announce layoffs and cuts to pay and benefits. Bloomberg.com <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aAYKCRtZdCv0">reports</a> that Silicon Valley has been hard hit by the recession, with unemployment above the national average and 90,000 jobs lost between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009. Further, companies are eliminating stock options, downsizing staff and instituting pay and benefits cuts, all while the cost of living in the area remains high. Instead, workers are jumping ship to areas like Huntsville, Ala., and Austin, Texas, where companies are tapping into a surge in federal government funding.
Digital Government
What Millennials Want
Federal human resources professionals have long contended that the government will be challenged by the younger generation's unwillingness to stay put at a job. Labor Department figures, which estimate that millennials will hold an average of 10 jobs before they turn 38, have backed up this belief.
Digital Government
The Federal-Private Pay Imbalance
Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry has appointed a task force to come up with data that shows that federal employees do not earn higher average salaries than their private sector counterparts.
Digital Government
Panel Approves Telework Bill
A House subcommittee on Wednesday approved legislation that would make telework a statutory requirement for every federal agency.
Digital Government
SSA Faces Shortage of IT Pros
The Social Security Administration will need to boost its recruitment, hiring, training and retention efforts of information technology specialists in order to offset a wave of IT retirements over the next six years, Federal Computer Week <a href="http://fcw.com/articles/2010/03/23/ssa-bracing-for-it-worker-retirements.aspx">reports</a>.
Digital Government
Workforce Key Concern for Agency CIOs
Managing and developing a top-notch IT workforce remains a key challenge for federal chief information officers, according to a new survey by TechAmerica and Grant Thornton.
Digital Government
Web 2.0's Power to Brand Public Service
Monster.com's Unleash the Monster blog has an interesting <a href="http://unleashthemonster.net/federal/nasa-unleashes%E2%80%A6the-power-of-social-media/">post</a> about how federal agencies can leverage social media to brand themselves to potential recruits. NASA, for example, has generated renewed interest in the agency through the use of Web 2.0 tools, in part by tweeting from space and utilizing Tweetups, or in-person meetings that allow the agency to interact face-to-face with the public.
Digital Government
Bill Aims to Improve Cyber Workforce
A bill introduced in the Senate on Wednesday would invest in the certification, training and hiring of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The bill, introduced by Sens. John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.V., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is a revised version of a bill first proposed in 2009 and is designed to <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100317_1762.php?oref=topnews">help the government address vulnerability to cyber crime and attacks</a>.
Digital Government
Potty Parity?
<em>Government Executive</em>'s latest <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44826&oref=todaysnews">Burning Question</a> feature tackles the issue of whether federal buildings should provide men and women equal access to restroom facilities. I know the issue isn't technology-related per se, but it could have some important implications for the IT workforce, especially if more <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23033748/">women begin pursuing technology degrees and careers</a>.
Digital Government
Scrapping KSAs
The Office of Personnel Management is planning to unveil several performance management and hiring reforms, including eliminating from federal applications the lengthy essays known as knowledge, skills and abilities statements, Government Executive <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44809&dcn=todaysnews">reports</a>.
Digital Government
Social Résumés
Millenial social networking Web site Brazen Careerist last week <a href="http://www.brazencareerist.com/">rolled out a new tool</a> that allows users to create social résumés. The tool enables users to showcase ideas, blog posts and other projects, all in addition to traditional résumé information, like work history and education.
Digital Government
OPM's Plan for IT Falls a Bit Short
The Office of Personnel Management on Friday released the final draft of its 2010-2015 <a href="http://www.opm.gov/strategicplan/StrategicPlan_20100310.pdf">strategic plan</a>, and it includes a few investments in information technology to help reform and improve the federal civil service.
Digital Government
Future Feds Demand Tech
On Wednesday, <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2010/03/millenials_jumping_it_boundaries.php">I wrote about a new report by Accenture</a> that found that 97 percent of Millennials (ages 14 to 27) in the United States at least partly agree that state-of-the-art technology and equipment will be essential when choosing an employer. <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2010/01/social_networks_critical_for_future_feds.php?oref=search">Research by Deloitte</a> released in January also found that 88 percent of teens use social networks every day, with more than half saying they would consider their ability to access them at work when weighing a job offer from a potential employer.
Digital Government
Top Dollar IT Certifications
While the down economy has led to nearly flat salaries for many tech jobs, IT professionals are touting one important tool that helps them earn more money: professional certifications. According to the March issue of the <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzcyNTMyfENoaWxkSUQ9MzY5OTU0fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1">Dice Report</a>, IT professionals who obtain specific certifications are increasing their value to other companies and organizations, raising their value in the job market and signaling to their current management that they're worth holding on to.
Digital Government
Millennials Ignore IT Use Policies
Forty-five percent of Millennials worldwide say they use social networking Web sites at work, regardless of whether their organization or company prohibits their use, according to a new <a href="http://www.accenture.com/Global/Research_and_Insights/By_Role/HighPerformance_IT/CIOResearch/Millennials.htm">survey</a> by Accenture.
Digital Government
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 <a href="http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/documents/IT%20Issue%20Brief%20Final.pdf">report</a> by the Partnership for Public Service.
Digital Government
Fed IT Workers Get $13 Mil in Bonuses
Federal agencies paid more than $280 million in bonuses in 2008 to recruit, retain and relocate employees, according to a new report from the Office of Personnel Management.
Cybersecurity
Homeland Security wants you to know your cybersecurity ABCs
Napolitano announces campaign to collect the best ideas for improving the public's awareness and literacy of computer security.
Digital Government
Are Feds Overpaid?
<em>USA Today</em> has an interesting <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm">article</a> that claims that federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in several occupations, including information technology. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, while average pay for the same jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the article states.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: