The federal government is a tough place to work these days. Pay freezes and budgetary woes are leaving many workers looking for greener pastures in the private sector. However, even within the government, not all pastures are equal. In fact, there exists significant variation in the level of job satisfaction amongst federal workers between agencies. As part of a series of reports based on the Partnership for Public Service’s 2012 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Survey, AOL Government analyzed pay scales and satisfaction between government agencies. One of the most interesting results? When it comes to pay, the intelligence community is hard to beat.
Overall, the research found that just over half of federal workers are happy with their pay levels, a drop from 2011. This is certainly one of the reasons that many federal workers are fleeing to the private sector where they can find better positions with higher salaries. However, amongst large federal agencies, the intelligence community scored the highest in terms of pay satisfaction. A significant majority, 67.9 percent of intelligence workers reported being satisfied with their level of pay. The next two highest agencies are NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency with 67.0 percent and 64.3 percent respectively.
For federal workers looking to improve their salaries without leaving the federal government, the research speaks volumes about where to look for new jobs – assuming you have the skills and qualifications. The intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency are top spots for well paying positions. Furthermore, for employees looking to eventually transfer into a higher paying position, the research shows the importance of getting a security clearance at their current position, increasing their employability both within the intelligence community and associated government contractors.
What field specifically in the intelligence community should cleared job seekers be looking for work? The AOL Government research does not say, but there is ample evidence that one particular area of strong growth in the intelligence community is cybersecurity. Despite looming budget cuts, cybersecurity continues to be an area of major growth in the intelligence and defense industries, as federal agencies attempt to secure their networks from attacks and exploit the digital vulnerability of the nation’s enemies.
