It’s no secret that the federal government has a hiring problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs took to Capitol Hill on Oct. 22 to see whether improving pay flexibility could be a way leverage the government’s hiring power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We all want a federal government that runs efficiently and effectively for the American people,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and chair of the subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hearing centered on the dearth of infrastructure as a result of the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota and Montana, which left the federal government scrambling to provide services that could keep pace with the explosive economic growth in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The energy boom has brought new jobs and opportunity, but it has seen a spike in the cost of living, some would say, skyrocketing,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., ranking member on the subcommittee.\u00a0“I like to say at the peak of the boom, rent rates in Williston, N.D. would make a New York landlord blush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The pay system just wasn’t flexible enough to accommodate and remain competitive with the private sector. We would see public employees being hired only to be transitioned off, especially petroleum engineers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brenda Roberts, deputy associate director for Pay and Leave at the Office of Personnel Management\u00a0said special pay rates are just some of the tools the agency has in dealing with circumstances like those in the Bakken region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In light of the current climate, it is extremely important for agencies to strategically use pay flexibilities to attract desirable applicants and good employees,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But National Treasury Union president Tony Reardon said that while prices may be going up in North Dakota, sequester cuts in D.C. have ensured that the federal government has a tough time recruiting or keeping workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We do not believe the problem is the GS system, but the lack of agency use of existing pay flexibilities. Agencies must receive proper levels of funding to be able to use these flexibilities, or they merely exist on paper,” Reardon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linda Jacksta, assistant commissioner of Human Resources Management with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said that pay flexibility is integral to incentivizing federal workers to jobs in locations that may be remote, and as a result where the cost of living is high, such as portions of the northern border in North Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“These locations are often accompanied by challenging environmental factors, inaccessible medical facilities, limited employment or educational opportunities for families and higher prices for consumer goods and services,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Combine those limitations with the astronomical cost of living from the Bakken oil boom, and you get a climate that is difficult to retain federal talent, Jacksta said, quoting rents in Williston and Watford City, N.D. averaging $2,200 and $2,800 a month, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reardon countered that federal compensation is more hampered by the across-the-board cuts of sequestration, which he said helped reduce pay flexibilities for agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“No employer can expect to recruit and retain a professional and skilled workforce while failing to keep up with general pay trends,” Reardon said in testimony. “It is simply a myth that the GS system does not allow agencies to reward high performance or respond to a changing recruitment and retention environment, but these \u2026 pay tools are just not being used enough.\u00a0 And the primary reason for that is a lack of funding.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heitkamp said that starting in September\u00a02014, with assistance from the OPM, three special pay raises were instituted, helping some 500 workers in her state, including at Minot Air Force Base in Minot, N.D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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