Federal agencies added tens of thousands of tech workers over the past four years — and are still recruiting private-sector workers to consider a career in government service.
The Office of Personnel Management and more than 20 other federal agencies made their pitch to prospective hires at a “Tech to Gov” virtual job fair last Thursday.
Over the past year, several Tech to Gov job fairs helped 3,000 technologists find work at more than 64 federal, state and local government agencies.
Acting OPM Director Rob Shriver told attendees that over the past four years, the federal government has hired about 30,0000 technologists across nearly 80 agencies.
“There is a real need for your skill sets across government, and we want to make it easy for you to get started,” Shriver said.
The latest Tech to Gov job fair served as a capstone for the White House’s Service for America campaign — a monthslong sprint by the Office of Management and Budget Office of the National Cyber Director to fill cybersecurity jobs across the federal government.
The job fairs are also helping agencies recruit AI experts as part of an ongoing AI talent surge.
A year after President Joe Biden signed his AI executive order, agencies have made about 250 AI hires.
The Biden administration expects agencies will hire a total of 500 AI experts by the end of FY 2025.
“Whatever your calling is, there’s a place for you within government, a place that offers career stability, good benefits and the chance to work on exciting challenges every day in government,” Shriver said.
During the event, agency officials showcased some of the latest projects that are making it easier for the public to obtain government benefits.
Those include the IRS’ Direct File platform — a free, online way for taxpayers to file their federal tax returns directly with the agency — and Login.gov, the federal government’s new single sign-on system for the public to get public services online.
Shriver told prospective applicants that federal employees working in IT have a unique opportunity to take on projects and challenges that impact millions of Americans.
“Other employers may make decisions based on the bottom line. But in government, it is all about serving our communities,” he said.
The federal government is also taking steps to make it easier for in-demand tech experts to apply for agency jobs.
Shriver said OPM has “significantly expanded” its Pathways Program for paid internships and fellowships, and is scaling up apprenticeship programs across the federal government.
“That means more entry points for technologists and nontraditional candidates alike,” he added.
The Biden administration is prioritizing skills-based hiring over traditional degrees and credentials for these positions.
The White House announced in April 2024 that it would move away from relying on college degrees for approximately 100,000 federal IT jobs across the federal government.
Shriver said federal hiring has often on a candidate’s degrees and years of working experience as proxies for certain skills. However, he said agencies should also consider other forms of experience for emerging tech fields, such as coding boot camps, online courses, open-source projects and self-directed learning.
“You’re going to be able to apply for these federal positions, when there previously was an obstacle that kept you from doing so,” he said. “You’re going to be able to explore jobs based on the actual skills that they require. And then when you apply, you’re going to be evaluated based on skills that you bring, not on the degree you hold, or where you may have gained that experience.”
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