Tag: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds

Federal Eye

Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds

A federal advisory group reported Tuesday that federal workers have fallen slightly further behind the private sector in pay, a trend that union leaders said they hope will be stopped by getting the government back in the habit of paying annual raises.

The Federal Salary Council, a group of union officials and pay policy experts, said that the average “pay gap” in favor of the private sector now stands at 35.4 percent, up from 34.6 percent last year and 26.3 percent in 2011.

(Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

(Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

The pay gap figure, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, involves employees paid under the largest of the government’s many pay systems, the General Schedule for white-collar employees below the executive level. Pay rates under the GS system are locality-based, varying among 31 metropolitan areas, the entirety of both Alaska and Hawaii, and a catchall “rest of the U.S.” locality for everywhere else apart from foreign countries. Continue reading “Federal workers falling further behind in pay, council finds”

Federal workforce dips 20 percent since May 2010 peak

Federal workforce dips 20 percent since May 2010 peak

Jun. 10, 2013 – 01:52PM   |  By STEPHEN LOSEY   |

The total federal workforce dropped by 14,000 employees in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said June 7, bringing the government’s staffing levels to its lowest point in more than five years.

May’s decline means federal payrolls — including U.S. Postal Service workers — have now dropped by 45,000 over the last three months. There are now 2,748,000 federal employees in the government — the lowest since February 2008, when there were 2,747,000 federal workers. The federal workforce has now fallen 20 percent since its peak in May 2010, when there were 3,415,000 employees. Continue reading “Federal workforce dips 20 percent since May 2010 peak”

How Does the Compensation of Federal Employees Compare with That of Workers in the Private Sector?

How Does the Compensation of Federal Employees Compare with That of Workers in the Private Sector?

January 30, 2012

The federal government employs 2.3 million civilian workers, or 1.7 percent of the U.S. workforce, in over 700 occupations and spent about $200 billion in fiscal year 2011 to compensate them. Recently, concern about the federal budget and about equity between the public and private sectors has focused greater attention on the costs that the federal government incurs to compensate its employees.

Today CBO released a study—prepared at the request of the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee—that addresses the question:  How does the compensation of federal employees compare with that of workers in the private sector? Continue reading “How Does the Compensation of Federal Employees Compare with That of Workers in the Private Sector?”

Obama to Unfreeze Federal Worker Pay in 2013 Budget

Obama to Unfreeze Federal Worker Pay in 2013 Budget

January 6, 2012

The White House will propose a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees as part of its 2013 budget proposal, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the plans.

The modest across-the-board pay jump would be the first increase for federal workers since before a two-year freeze began in late 2010. Raises for within-grade step increases and promotions have continued during the freeze.

The proposal, which requires congressional approval, differs from Republican plans supported by lawmakers and presidential candidates that would freeze basic pay rates for one more year. Some of those plans also call for denying within-grade raises. In recent weeks, GOP lawmakers have called for extending the pay freeze as a way to pay for a payroll tax extension. Continue reading “Obama to Unfreeze Federal Worker Pay in 2013 Budget”

AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014

Press Releases | AFGE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 19, 2012

Contact:Enid Doggett
(202) 639-6419
doggee@afge.org

AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014

(WASHINGTON) The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today issued the following statement on the Oct. 19, 2012 Federal Salary Council meeting addressing policies that will take effect in January 2014.

The Council voted to recommend the addition of twelve new localities for which the pay gap, as measured by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, has been at least an average of 10% higher than the gap in the Rest of U.S. locality over the past four years. The Council also reiterated its support for changing the criteria for drawing pay locality boundaries in ways that emphasize commuting rates. All Council members agree that commuting rates are what define a local labor market, and that these data are the best way to understand regional pay. The Council also unanimously voted to ask BLS to restore the portion of the National Compensation Survey that was devoted exclusively to matching federal jobs with those in the private sector and state and local government. Continue reading “AFGE Statement on Federal Salary Council Meeting Addressing Policies that Will Take Effect in January 2014”

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