FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2007
Contact: Sarah Howe
202-775-9111
UNCLE SAM NEEDS YOU!
SURVEY FINDS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST HIRE NEARLY 193,000 NEW WORKERS TO FILL MISSION CRITICAL JOBS
Police Officers, Investigators, Food Inspectors, Security and Prison Guards, Airport Screeners, Customs and Border Patrol, and Immigration Agents, and Intelligence Analysts Top Federal Government’s “Most Wanted” Wish List
Washington, D.C. – The federal government is hiring, and if your background is in security, you’re at the top of Uncle Sam’s most-wanted list this Independence Day, according to a new report — Where the Jobs Are: Mission Critical Opportunities for America, released today by the Partnership for Public Service. The report outlines government-wide projected hiring needs through 2009 and is based on a survey of 34 federal agencies representing nearly 99 percent of the federal workforce.
The survey finds nearly 193,000 mission critical jobs need to be filled in the next two years, including 62,863 security and law enforcement related jobs. The number of compliance and enforcement hires is up nearly four-fold compared to 2005 figures – and include 27,243 new border patrol agents, customs officers, immigration agents, food inspectors, criminal investigators and airport screeners.
According to the report, two key factors are driving the federal government’s hiring projections for the next two years:
- The need to keep Americans safe. More than 83,000 jobs need to be filled at agencies charged with protecting and securing the nation— 47,897 jobs at the Department of Homeland Security and 35,505 jobs at the Department of Defense;
- The need to replace hundreds of thousands of retiring federal workers. Nearly one-third of the 1.6 million full-time federal workforce is expected to retire or resign in the next five years.
“This 4th of July, or any day, I can think of no better way to display ones patriotism that to work for our country. This report confirms that the job opportunities are there. People just need to seize them,” said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service.
In addition, the report finds the federal government needs to hire:
- More than 23,000 nurses and nursing assistants, along with physicians, pharmacists and occupational therapists to fill 35,350 medical and public health jobs.
- Biological scientists to address the threat of bioterrorism. The Department of Agriculture projects 2,462 hires and the Department of Homeland Security expects to hire nearly 1,000 workers.
- Transportation security officers for 22,329 jobs at the Department of Homeland Security.
- More than 8,300 contracting experts at the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and other agencies.
- Accountants, tax examiners, auditors, and budget and financial analysts to fill 21,248 jobs at the IRS, Department of Treasury and other agencies.
- IT experts for at least 11,562 positions.
- Attorneys, paralegals and other legal positions to fill 9,691 jobs at the Department of Treasury and other agencies.
- Air traffic controllers to fill 15,004 jobs at the Department of Transportation over the next 10 years.
Additional report highlights, for the job seeker:
- The federal government offers recruitment bonuses, retention incentives, relocation incentives and graduate school scholarship. And, they offer student loan repayments -- up to $10,000 per year for a total of $60,000 in exchange for at least 3 years of service. The Department of Justice leads agencies in student loan repayments, granting 3,073 repayments at more than $27 million.
- There are jobs for every interest and skill, with more than 2,000 separate job categories at 15 cabinet-level agencies, 20 large and 80 small agencies.
- Jobs are available all over the world. About 86 percent of federal jobs are located outside of Washington, D.C. and more than 50,000 are stationed abroad. Areas with the highest numbers of federal workers include Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego, New York City, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles.
- The federal government values diversity. About 17.6 percent of all workers are African-American, 7.6 percent are Hispanic, 5.2 percent are Asian/Pacific Islanders and 1.9 percent are Native American.
To find federal job vacancies go to OPM’s site www.USAJOBS.gov and for job seeker tips visit www.makingthedifference.org, the Partnership’s site for students interested in federal careers.
The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. www.ourpublicservice.org
The Partnership’s Where the Jobs Are: Mission Critical Opportunities for America is supported by Careerbuilder.com.
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The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
