Demographic Perspectives
While government-wide and organization-wide numbers can tell us a lot about the federal workforce, they do not provide a complete picture. To offer both federal leaders and job candidates a fuller view, the Partnership for Public Service and the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation provide Best Places to Work 2010 results across several demographic groups.
Closing the Gap
Previous iterations of Best Places to Work have identified gaps in employee satisfaction along gender and age lines. In the 2010 rankings, men (67.9) enjoyed a marginally higher satisfaction index score than women (66.1). That gap was smaller in 2009, with women scoring 0.5 higher than men. In 2010, the index score for women improved by 4.1 percent while the index score for men improved by 7.6 percent, one of the highest increases for any demographic group and second only to the under-40 group.
In 2010, federal workers under the age of 40 had a Best Places to Work index score of 68.8, an increase of 8.8 percent. That was two points higher than their older counterparts. The index score for federal workers over 40 also improved, but only by 5.6 percent. The increase in job and organization satisfaction among under-40 federal workers may be driven, in part, by the perspective of the younger generation employees who are relatively new to the federal government. The index score for those under 40 and new to government (three or less years of service) was 74.7.
Among racial/national origin groups, gaps remain. Employees who classify themselves as Asian were most satisfied (71.2,), which is 6.2 points above the government-wide average of 65. They are followed by Hispanic or Latino employees (68.8), White (67.6), Black (66.8), American Indian (63.2) and multi-racial (55.8). The biggest increase among racial groups was for Whites, whose index score was up by 6.5 percent.
Looking Closer at Individual Agencies
With slight differences government-wide between the index scores for men and women, it shouldn’t be surprising that most individual agencies reveal a negligible gender gap. Only five of 29 large agencies which provided demographic data had a difference of more than four points between men and women. The largest gap is at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where the index score is 8.2 points higher for men. Male employees at the Department of Education also appear to be more satisfied by 6.1 points compared to their female coworkers. There are no large agencies where overall satisfaction index scores are considerably higher for females.
When considering age, the pattern at agencies reflects the government-wide results. Younger workers tend to be more satisfied at most agencies. At 24 of 29 large agencies where data are available, young people are more satisfied, but by very narrow margins in most cases. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the only large agency where over-40 workers are more satisfied (+6.3), although the gap has decreased slightly from 2009. The agencies where under-40 workers are much more positive than their older colleagues are the General Services Administration (8.6 points) and Social Security Administration (8.2 points).
An analysis of large agencies by race and ethnicity shows that Asians have the highest satisfaction index scores in 20 large agencies, Hispanics in five, Whites in three (Securities and Exchange Commission, National Archives, Environmental Protection Agency), American Indians in one (Department of Transportation), and African-Americans in one (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Employees who designated themselves as multi-racial did not have the highest index score at any large agency.
Model Agencies
Further agency-by-agency analysis reveals that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) set the standard for employee satisfaction across multiple demographic groups. The NRC scored number one among African-Americans, Asians, employees younger than 40, multi-racial individuals, and Whites. GAO was number one among employees 40 and older, women, men, and Hispanics.
The Best Places to Work rankings — the most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction and commitment in the federal government — are produced by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI).
