Digital Government
Panel Advances Partner Benefits Bill
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday passed legislation that would provide health care and other benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian federal employees. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/11/panel_approves_domestic_partner_benefits.php">passed companion legislation</a> in November. Approval of the bill (S. 1102) would bring the government in line with the benefits offered by most Fortune 100 companies, including several major technology companies.
Digital Government
Is Your IT Department Understaffed?
Nearly half of chief information officers from companies across the U.S. believe their IT departments are understaffed in relation to current workloads, according to a new <a href="http://rht.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=131&item=865">survey</a> by Robert Half Technology.
Digital Government
IT Hiring Shows Modest Increase
Hiring expectations of private sector technology recruiters and hiring managers have improved slightly over the past six months, according to a recent <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzYxNjkzfENoaWxkSUQ9MzU1MTg2fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1">survey</a> by Dice.com. The survey found that 45 percent of recruiters and hiring managers expect flat to increasing hiring plans for the first six months of 2010, while 48 percent of recruiters and hiring managers said they anticipate cutbacks in IT hiring.
Digital Government
DHS Launches Cyber Job Fair
The Homeland Security Department on Dec. 11 announced the launch of a virtual job fair to recruit cybersecurity experts.
Digital Government
Senate Sends 2 Percent Pay Raise to Obama
The Senate on Saturday passed a <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/12/congress_backs_2_percent_pay_raise.php">catchall spending package</a> that includes a 2 percent pay raise for civilian federal workers. The fiscal 2010 omnibus spending package now heads to the White House for President Obama's signature.
Digital Government
OPM Beefs Up Training Programs
Alex Parker <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44220&dcn=todaysnews">writes</a> at <em>Government Executive</em> that the Office of Personnel Management has issued final regulations that require agencies to improve and monitor their training programs for managers more strictly. The <a href="http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-29480.htm">rules</a>, issued Thursday in the <em>Federal Register</em>, require agencies to train managers within one year of their appointment to a supervisory position on mentoring and employee development, conducting performance appraisals and dealing with poor performers. The regulations also call on agencies to set up a management succession program that grooms employees to replace current managers, and to track at least annually their progress toward closing workforce talent gaps.
Digital Government
2% Pay Raise to Senate
The House on Thursday passed an omnibus spending package that includes a 2 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees. Rejecting President Obama's recommendation to freeze locality pay at 2009 rates, the House allocated 1.5 percent of the overall 2.0 percent raise to base pay and 0.5 percent to locality pay. The spending package now moves to the Senate, which will consider the bill over the weekend.
Digital Government
Labor-Management Forums Created
President Obama on Wednesday signed an <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44213&dcn=todaysnews">executive order creating labor-management forums</a> within the government. The order creates forums at the agency level as well as a National Council on Federal Labor Management, which will include all of the major federal unions and employee groups and will be led by the deputy director for the Office of Management and Budget and the director of the Office of Personnel Management.
Digital Government
Nominate Your Favorite Fed
The Partnership for Public Service announced on Wednesday that nominations are now open for the 2010 Service to America Medals awards program for federal employees.
Digital Government
Congress Backs 2 Percent Pay Raise
Congressional appropriators announced late Tuesday that the fiscal 2010 omnibus spending package would include a 2 percent total pay adjustment for federal workers next year.
Digital Government
Open Government Challenges
The White House on Tuesday unveiled a new <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-06.pdf">open government directive</a> that requires agencies to begin taking steps to expand access to and improve the quality of government information. The directive requires federal agencies to create within 60 days an open government Web page, and to develop and publish within 120 days an open government plan that describes how it will improve transparency and integrate public participation and collaboration into its activities.
Digital Government
Have Telework Will, Not the Way
While 81 percent of government and business IT makers say their organizations have written continuity-of-operations plans, both sectors report implementation challenges and lack confidence that employees could work remotely during an emergency, according to a new <a href="http://www.teleworkexchange.com/mobilizingagainstpandemic/default.asp">study</a> by Telework Exchange and Intel.
Digital Government
Outlook Grim for IT Salaries
The sluggish economy has hit nearly every industry, and wages are down, including in information technology. eWeek <a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Management/16-IT-Job-Titles-That-Saw-Salary-Slashes-in-2009-651239/">highlights</a> a recent <a href="http://www.roberthalftechnology.com/FreeResources?rfmCandidate_5.dmreq=true&rfmCandidate_5.Z=0&rfmCandidate_5.B=1226&rfmCandidate_5.A=RHTsg10CO">study</a> by Robert Half Technology that outlines 70 IT job fields and compares 2009 to the coming year. National starting salaries for IT jobs are forecast to decrease by an average of 1.3 percent in 2010, Robert Half found. The list may prove useful to federal IT workers interested in keeping up with the most in-demand, highly-paid skills, or comparing their federal salary with those in the private sector.
Digital Government
Online Tools for Open Season
The annual open season for selecting and/or changing your federal benefits ends Dec. 14. Federal employees who have put off investigating other health plan choices may want to consider some online tools to help make an informed decision before the deadline.
Digital Government
CIOs Optimistic on IT Hiring
A new survey by Robert Half Technology suggests that government competition with the private sector for IT talent could show a slight increase in 2010. According to the first quarter of the IT Hiring Index and Skills report, 7 percent of technology executives at U.S. companies anticipate adding IT staff in the first quarter of 2010, while 4 percent plan workforce reductions. Eighty-nine percent of CIOs said they plan to maintain current personnel levels.
Digital Government
Obama Nixes Locality Pay in 2010
Alyssa Rosenberg <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44149&dcn=todaysnews">writes</a> at <em>Government Executive</em> that President Obama is not only <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/12/obama_limits_2010_pay_raise_to_2_percent.php?oref=latest_posts">limiting the 2010 pay raise for federal employees to 2 percent</a>, he also plans to freeze locality pay rates at 2009 levels. The move makes Obama the first president in history to freeze locality pay rates.
Digital Government
Obama: 2010 Pay Raise 2 Percent
President Obama on Monday reiterated that he will limit the across-the board pay increase for federal employees to 2 percent in 2010.
Digital Government
What's Next for NSPS
Alyssa Rosenberg <a href="http://www.govexec.com/features/1209-01/1209-01s2.htm">writes</a> in the December issue of <em>Government Executive</em> about how the Defense Department may move forward on dismantling its controversial personnel overhaul - the National Security Personnel System. The system was fully repealed in the fiscal 2010 Defense Authorization Act, meaning the thousands of employees who are currently hired, evaluated and paid based on the system must convert back to the decades-old General Schedule by Jan. 1, 2012. But that introduces a number of challenges, Alyssa writes, including how to shift employees back into the GS without a decrease in pay, and implement a performance management system to cover the entire department.
Digital Government
Following Your Tweets
There's an interesting <a href="http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/following-your-employees-on">conversation</a> going on at GovLoop about whether it's OK for an agency's official Twitter account to follow the personal Twitter accounts of its employees. Some private sector companies follow their own employees' accounts, which can help promote the idea of being more transparent and open. But it also could raise some concern for employee privacy as well as an agency's public affairs strategy.
Digital Government
Hot IT Skills for 2010
Dice.com <a href="http://career-resources.dice.com/articles/content/entry/hot_skills_for_2010">reports</a> on the top certified and non-certified skills that employers will be seeking in 2010. According to IT consulting firm Foote Partners, the top skills that will command the highest pay premiums in 2010 are:
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