If you're transitioning out of the service and have your eye on working for a federal agency, there's good news: Federal employees love working in the public sector, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization in support of building a strong federal workforce.
The PPS and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management recently released their 2010 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government report — which surveyed 263,000 civil servants across 290 agencies — and found that employee satisfaction with the government workplace is at an all time high.
In fact, the employee satisfaction score for 2010 was 65 out 100, which represents a 2.7 increase from 2009. This boost is attributed to effective leadership, a satisfaction with pay, and "a belief by employees that their skills are well-suited to their agency's mission," according to the PPS.
"The Best Places to Work rankings are an important tool in improving federal employee commitment and satisfaction," said PPS CEO and President Max Stier in a press release. "When agencies are badly managed and workers are dissatisfied, the public suffers."
The following list represents the agencies honored as the Top 10 Large Federal Agencies for 2010:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Government Accountability Office
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Social Security Administration
- Department of State
- General Services Administration
- Department of Justice
- Intelligence Community
The Top 10 Small Federal Agencies for 2010 include:
- Surface Transportation Board
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Congressional Budget Office
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
- Peace Corps
- National Endowment of the Humanities
- Federal Trade Commission
- National Transportation Safety Board
- National Endowment of the Arts
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
These rankings not only show which agencies are successful, but also reveal which ones need improvement and better management.
"The rankings provide an early warning sign for agencies in trouble," said Stier. "They provide a mechanism to hold agency leaders accountable for the health of their organizations and a road map for better agency management."
Regardless of the rankings, public-sector work is fraught with opportunity for transitioning servicemembers and veterans. What's more, the federal workforce needs servicemembers to fill thousands of mission-critical jobs that will be available in the next three years. To apply for a federal job, visit the official job board of the public sector, USAJOBS.gov. Or, visit Military.com's Careers channel to search for military-friendly, public sector employers.
