While many have called for the federal government to undergo hiring freezes and other spending cuts to help reduce the budget deficit, President Obama's fiscal 2012 budget proposal, released Tuesday, calls for an additional 15,000 federal workers.
The budget estimates an increase of 15,000 workers next year, which would make 2012 the third straight year that federal civilian employment has topped 2.1 million employees. Even with the 15,000-person increase, however, the budget estimates 12,000 fewer federal workers in 2012 than 2010.
The biggest increase in workers would come at the Homeland Security Department, which the budget estimates would hire 8,000 new workers in 2012. The Justice Department, which last month announced a temporary freeze on hiring, is estimated to add 4,000 new workers, and the Treasury Department is estimated to add 6,000 new workers, according to the budget blueprint.
Are the workforce increases necessary? If so, in what areas? Given Obama's commitment to improve the efficiency of the government workforce in 2012, should the hiring of additional IT workers play a role?
For more information on the 2012 workforce projections, click here (Page 353).
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.