The Federal Government has a problem marketing itself so it can attract workers from Generation Y, those 18 – 29 year olds upon whom the welfare of the country will depend to carry out the future business of the government. 

Scary, huh?  Not really.

Yesterday, The Washington Post hosted a seminar to discuss a study done by The Gallup Organization in conjunction with the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG) that analyzed future worker needs, what these people valued, and whether agency jobs sufficiently appealed to this cohort. 

Some participants joked that perhaps we should lose the drab, uninspiring “Federal Government” moniker and opt for something a bit punchier.

I suggest “Uncle Sam’s Club.”  After all, Wal-Mart did pretty well with “Sam’s Club,” named after founder Sam Walton who started out with rural five-and-dime stores and became one of the biggest retailers in the world.

Seriously, the Gallup and CEG research found that one-third (34%) of the 46 million “Gen Y” folks would consider the government as a possible employer.  Plus, two of the main job motivators for these people (job security and compensation/benefits) matched their perception of life in “Uncle Sam’s Club.”  In short, the apocalyptic news about the effect of the anticipated massive retirements (brain drain) from the federal government in the next five years or so may not be as dire as we earlier thought. 

However, considerable challenges remain.  The study noted that “innovation and creativity,” which was valued by our target workforce population, was perceived by them to be virtually non-existent with Uncle Sam.  Only three percent (3%) thought of the government as a source of innovation and creativity.

Many at the seminar – seasoned government employees – demurred, acknowledging that their current jobs demand both these traits and future ones will require them in increasing measure as citizens’ service demands grow and budget levels dwindle or remain relatively static.

One panel participant hailed from Gen Y, Andi Fisher-Colwill, an analyst in the Office of Performance Budgeting at the Department of Treasury, envisioned a career where she could “change the world.”  I was pleased to hear this.  You may recall that this was a prevalent sentiment among the soon-to-be-retiring Baby Boomers that the federal agencies will soon be replacing.

I liked Andi’s idealism.  It was not only refreshing, but also reminiscent of my generation’s work aspirations in the tuirbulent 1960s and 70s.  Perhaps the work things change, the more they remain the same after all.

Fred Apelquist, contributing editor

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