Digital Government
Tech Salaries Nearly Flat in 2009
Private sector technology professionals received nearly flat salaries in 2009, with many citing a decrease in satisfaction with salaries and non-compensation incentives, according to a new <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzY1MDU3fENoaWxkSUQ9MzU5NTM5fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1">survey</a> by Dice.com.
Digital Government
Social Networks: Critical for Future Feds?
A recent <a href="http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/press/Press-Releases/press-release/c309defc93475210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm?id=USRSS&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DeloitteUs+(Deloitte+LLP+Top+Stories)">survey</a> by consultant Deloitte found that social networking has become so central to teens' lives that they would consider their ability to access them during work hours when weighing a job offer. The survey found that 88 percent of teens surveyed use social networks every day, with more than half saying they would consider their ability to access social networks at work when weighing a job offer from a potential employer.
Digital Government
Labor Advises on Modernizing Government
On Thursday afternoon, more than 50 of the nation's top chief executive officers participated in a White House forum on how the government can use technology to save money and improve performance. In addition to including top federal leaders in technology and government performance, the forum also reached out to federal labor groups for advice on how the government can streamline operations and become a better employer.
Digital Government
OPM Unveils Work-Life Campus
The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday held a ceremony to unveil its new renovated health unit, which is part of the agency's effort to create a model work-life campus for the federal government in improving the wellness, morale and productivity of federal employees.
Digital Government
Demand for New IT Skills
A new discipline that uses systems and software to help direct business processes is creating demands for new sets of IT skills both in the private sector and in government, according to the January issue of the <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzYzNjEwfENoaWxkSUQ9MzU3Nzc1fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1">Dice Report</a>. The discipline, called Business Process Management, or BPM, has led to an expanding number of job postings for software developers, systems architects and business analysts, mostly by organizations that are looking to cash in on a potential cost savings of as much as 20 percent within the first year of implementing BPM.
Digital Government
State Pledges Support for Cyber Training
A <a href="http://issuu.com/cybermaryland/docs/cyberreport">report</a> released on Monday by the Maryland state government seeks to put the state at the center of the federal government's cybersecurity efforts. The report cites the presence of several federal agencies including the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the National Security Agency, as reasons why Maryland is the national leader in security the country's critical cyber infrastructures.
Digital Government
Blurring the Work-Life Line
A new survey by Forrester Research shows that American workers not only support the concept of telework, but also want smartphones to help them stay even better connected to work e-mail and documents as well as co-workers, ComputerWorld <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9143034/Smartphones_Office_shackles_or_tool_for_work_life_balance_">reports</a>. In fact, many workers are willing to foot all or part of the bill for such access, the survey found.
Digital Government
Mini Generation Gaps
<em>The New York Times</em> has an interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10stone.html?pagewanted=2">article</a> on how the ever-accelerating pace of technological change may be creating a series of mini-generation gaps. In fact, recent studies have shown that 16- to 18-year-olds are able to perform seven tasks, on average, in their free time, like texting, sending instant messages and checking Facebook while sitting in front of the television. People in their early 20s can handle only six tasks, and those in their 30s can perform about five and a half, the research found. The heightened ability to multitask has created concerns that younger generations may not be able to focus in school or in the workplace.
Digital Government
Telework Talk
The Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration have teamed up to create a new blog about telework progress across the federal government. The blog, called <a href="http://www.telework.gov/Blog/TeleworkTalk/index.aspx">Telework Talk</a>, poses questions to federal employees about what they believe could be viable solutions to telework challenges and allows readers the opportunity to vote on solutions offered by others. Only federal employees with a valid .gov or .mil email address can vote on or offer telework ideas and solutions.
Digital Government
Calling Federal IT Workers
If you're a federal information technology worker with less than five years of experience, the Partnership for Public Service wants to talk to you about your recruitment, hiring and onboarding experiences.
Digital Government
OPM's Reorg Includes Room for IT
The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday announced a complete restructuring of its organizational chart. The <a href="http://www.opm.gov/about_OPM/reorg-2010/FunctionalDescriptions.pdf">restructuring outline</a> includes a few plans for information technology, including elevating the role chief information officer at the agency.
Digital Government
IT Skills Checklist
NetworkWorld has an interesting <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/010410-outlook-it-skills.html?page=4">article</a> on the outlook for IT jobs and skills in 2010. IT professionals affected by the economic recession will not find immediate relief in a booming employment market this year, and companies will be looking to fill internal IT roles with individuals who can also make critical business decisions, analysts say.
Digital Government
GSA Lowers Mileage Rates
Do you plan to use your own vehicle in 2010 to attend a work-related technology conference or other government-related meetings or events? The General Services Administration announced on Monday that it is lowering by 5 cents the 2010 mileage reimbursement rate for federal employees using their personal vehicles for government business.
Digital Government
New Year, New Pay
Federal employees already know that the new year promises a 2 percent overall increase to their paychecks. But it's important to note that the actual pay raise that each employee receives varies depending on where they work. The Office of Personnel Management has <a href="http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/index.asp">posted</a> the total base pay and locality pay increases for the 35 locality pay areas in 2010, and it may prove useful in helping determine what your next paycheck will look like.
Digital Government
OPM Plans Facelift of USAJobs
The Office of Personnel Management is making a new year's resolution for 2010: overhaul USAJobs.gov, the government's primary job search Web site. According to a <a href="http://www.usajobs.gov/newlaunchvideo.asp">video</a> on USAJobs, the new Web site, which will launch on Jan. 23, will be easier to navigate, more streamlined and more personal. Federal job applicants will be able to better refine job search results, as well as share job search information on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking Web sites.
Digital Government
A Different Take on Jobs Outlook
eWeek's Careers blog has an interesting <a href="http://blogs.eweek.com/careers/content001/hiring/specialized_it_skills_to_dominate_2010_tech_jobs_report.html">post</a> about how the outlook for IT hiring in 2010 may not be as bright as many research firms have speculated.
Digital Government
Workforce Hurdles for New Cyber Czar
President Obama on Tuesday <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20091222_3406.php?oref=topnews">named Robert Schmidt as his cybersecurity coordinator</a>. As the new cyber czar, Schmidt will be tasked with developing a new comprehensive strategy to secure American networks, ensuring a unified response to cyber incidents, strengthening public-private partnerships and leading national campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness and education.
Digital Government
Where Gen Y Wants to Work
Brazen Careerist, a social networking site for millenials, last week released its list of the <a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/12/16/announcing-the-brazen-careerist-top-50-places-to-work/">top 50 employers for Generation Y</a>. A few well-known technology companies, including Google, Yahoo and Sungard Data Systems, made the list, as well as several federal contractors.
Digital Government
It's Good to be IT Now
The Daily Beast's Clark Merrefield <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-02/cutting-edge-jobs/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL3#">highlights the top 10 information technology jobs</a> that will be the most in-demand through 2016. Despite the grim outlook for jobs in the recovering economy, Merrefield notes, IT jobs remain the silver lining, with the number of openings and wages up for cutting-edge jobs like network architects, system software designers and data engineers.
Digital Government
Improving IT Leaders
On Monday, Wired Workplace <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/12/opm_beefs_up_training_programs.php">highlighted</a> the Office of Personnel Management's new regulations designed to improve and monitor agency training programs for managers. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service also has launched an effort to beef up leadership training for GS-14s and GS-15s. The new program, called the Center for Government Leadership, integrates the Partnership's Excellence in Government Fellows program and the Annenberg Leadership Institute into one program, and provides custom trainings for agencies around key leadership issues flagged by federal workers in the group's Best Places to Work survey.
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