The latest jobs report shows America’s labor market down 10 million jobs below pre-COVID-19 levels. Many individuals have been unemployed for longer than half a year. “It’s very clear our economy is still in trouble,” President Joe Biden said in response. Jobs coach Kathryn Troutman says it’s time for people to look for other options, and she points to one of our nation’s largest employers, the US government.

The chart above is from OPM Fedscope which describes the types of positions, salaries available in the US Government.

“The Feds are a top employer in the US,” notes Troutman. “They have jobs in all lines of work. Federal jobs are in every state. Plus the US government is growing in 2021 due to the additional mission to support the COVID-19 vaccinations and public health programs in America.”

The leading federal jobs expert, Troutman finds it surprising that in surveys of the country’s main employers state-by-state, the federal government is often overlooked. “This is despite its total workforce of 2.1 to 2.4 million,” she says. People think of Walmart or Amazon. Walmart is actually in second place or running neck-to-neck to Uncle Sam, and the company’s website shows nearly 1.5 million workers within the country (and more than 2.2 million worldwide). Amazon comes in third, at 1 million employees domestically (and 1.13 million worldwide) – numbers reported in The Washington Post.

You’ll find that salaries are significantly higher with the feds. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) states that the average yearly salary for federal employees is currently $90,000. According to Zippia, the average Walmart employee makes $35,108 per year, and the average Amazon worker gets $46,041.

Federal jobs also come with a first-class benefits package. This includes a wide selection of health benefit programs, comprehensive retirement plans, and life insurance. Annually, you get 10 paid holidays and 13 days of sick leave. When you first enter the federal workforce, you receive 13 days of paid vacation per year, and your number of vacation days increases over time. Many positions allow you to work from home.

Interestingly, over 85% of federal jobs are outside of Washington, DC. Here are the top 15 states for jobs with Uncle Sam, along with the numbers:
(1) California, 137,434;
(2) Virginia, 131,434;
(3) Maryland, 114,997;
(4) Texas, 109,137;
(5) Florida, 79,425;
(6) Georgia, 71,162;
(7) Pennsylvania, 55,685;
(8) Washington State, 53,161;
(9) Ohio, 47,093;
(10) New York, 45,029;
(11) North Carolina, 43,311;
(12) Oklahoma, 39,482;
(13) Colorado, 36,350;
(14) Illinois, 35,804; and
(15) Alabama, 34,346.
(Numbers from the Office of Personnel and Management)

“As I’ve noted, you can find just about any kind of job with the federal government,” Troutman says. “Everything from Administrative/Clerical, IT Specialist/Cyber, Public Health, Logistics/Supply, Intelligence to various types of Engineering. And much more.” She reports that salaries range from GS 5 at around $30,000 to GS 15 positions averaging $170,000.

Want to know what grade level or salary you would qualify for? Go to the fed’s official website USAJobs.gov and search for keywords you know, such as Nurse, Administrator, Administrative Assistant, IT Specialist, Engineer, Logistics or Supply. Read the jobs announcements that come up. “In particular, read the Specialized Experience / Requirements section to determine if you have the qualifications for a certain job and grade/salary level,” she suggests.

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