Recession poll 2011 federal gov

SHRM Poll: The Ongoing Impact of the Recession—Federal Government

June 4, 2012

SHRM Poll: The Ongoing Impact of the Recession—Federal Government Agencies ©SHRM 2012 2

The Ongoing Impact of the Recession:Federal Government

Introduction

Key Findings

Organizations’ Financial Health

Hiring

Recruiting Challenges

Demographics

Methodology


Introduction

Overall results have been released in three different topic areas: Recruiting and skill gaps (released November 7, 2011). Overall financial health and hiring (released November 22, 2011). Global competition and hiring strategies (released December 14, 2011).

Industry-specific results are reported separately for each of the eight industries included in the sample. These findings cover the results for the federal government. The following industries were also included in the sample: Construction, mining, oil and gas (released March 9, 2012). Manufacturing (released April 4, 2012). Finance (released June 4, 2012). State and local government (released June 4, 2012). Health. Services—professional. High-tech.


Key Findings: Organizations’ Financial HealthFederal Government

What percentage of staff have organizations laid off since the U.S. and global recession began in December 2007? One-half (50%) of respondents from the federal government indicated they had not laid off any staff in 2011. Thirty-nine percent had lost between 1% and 10% of their staff. These 2011 figures are similar to 2010, where 88% of federal government respondents reported losing less than 10% of employees.

How does organizations’ financial health compare to 12 months ago? The federal government’s financial health has worsened compared with one year ago. In 2011, 68% of respondents from the federal government were in a significant or mild decline, compared with 29% in 2010.


Key Findings: HiringFederal Government

Are organizations hiring? About two-thirds (68%) of respondents from the federal government were hiring in 2011, down from 76% in 2010. Only the health industry is more likely to be hiring than the federal government.

Are organizations creating new positions or replacing jobs lost? Over two-thirds (69%) of respondents in the federal government sector indicated they were hiring direct replacements of jobs lost in 2011, two times more than in 2010 (34%). Fewer respondents in the federal government indicated they were hiring for completely new positions in 2011 (21%) than in 2010 (57%), while a similar percentage in 2010 (9%) and 2011 (10%) were hiring for positions with new duties added to jobs lost since the recession began.


Key Findings: Recruiting ChallengesFederal Government

Is recruiting for specific jobs difficult in the current labor market? For federal government agencies that are currently hiring full-time staff, about one-third (35%) of respondents indicated that they are having difficulty recruiting for specific open jobs.

What techniques are being used to fill key jobs that have been difficult to fill? The vast majority (96%) of federal government respondents had hired U.S. veterans in an attempt to fill key jobs that have been difficult to fill. The federal government is more likely to have hired U.S. veterans compared with all other seven industries surveyed.

What types of jobs are the most difficult to fill? The top five most difficult positions to fill for the federal government are high-skilled technical (e.g., technicians and programmers) (81%), engineers (80%), managers and executives (65%), HR professionals (58%), and accounting and finance professionals (56%).


Organizations’ Financial Health



More than 50% of staff

21% to 50% of staff

11% to 20% of staff (2011 data) * 10% to 20% (2010

data)

10% or less (2011 data) *Less than 10% (2010

data)

6% to 10% of staff

1% to 5% of staff

Not applicable—did not lay off any staff

0%

3%

9%

88%

2%

2%

7%

89%

16%

23%

50% 2011 (n = 130)

2010 (n = 161)

Thus far, what percentage of full-time jobs have been lost at your organization since the U.S. and global recession began in December 2007? Federal Government

Note: An asterisk (*) indicates 2010 data had different categories than 2011 data: “Less than 10% of staff” and “10% to 20% of staff.”

89%


Thus far, what percentage of full-time jobs have been lost at your organization since the U.S. and global recession began in December 2007? Federal Government

Federal government (50%)Finance (45%)

…are more likely tohave had NO layoffs

than...

Construction, mining, oil and gas (20%)Manufacturing (21%)

State and local government (30%)Services—professional (30%)

High-tech (29%)

Comparisons by industry

The federal government and the finance industry are more likely to have had no layoffs compared with the construction, mining, oil and gas; manufacturing; state and local government; professional services; and high-tech industries.

The construction, mining, oil and gas industry is more likely to have lost more than 50% of staff compared with the federal government, finance, manufacturing, professional services, and high-tech industries.

Construction, mining, oil and gas (10%)…is more likely to

have lost more than 50% of staffthan...

Federal government (2%)Finance (0%)

Manufacturing (2%)Services—professional (2%)

High-tech (3%)

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.


In relation to the U.S. and global recession, would you say your organization's overall financial health is declining or recovering compared with 12 months ago?Federal Government

In a significant decline

In a mild decline

No change compared with 12 months ago

In a mild recovery

In a significant recovery

8%

21%

46%

19%

6%

29%

39%

24%

5%

2% 2011 (n = 129)

2010 (n = 161)

Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.


In relation to the U.S. and global recession, would you say your organization's overall financial health is declining or recovering compared with 12 months ago?Federal Government

Manufacturing (19%)High-tech (14%)

…are more likely tobe in a significant recovery

than...

Federal government (2%)State and local government (1%)


The manufacturing and high-tech industries are more likely to be in a significant recovery compared with the federal government and state and local governments.

The federal government is more likely to be in a significant decline compared with the construction, mining, oil and gas; finance; health; manufacturing; state and local government; professional services; and high-tech industries .

Federal government (29%)…is more likely to

be in a significant declinethan...

Construction, mining, oil and gas (7%)Finance (3%)Health (10%)

Manufacturing (4%)State and local government (13%)

Services—professional (5%)High-tech (4%)



Hiring



Is your organization currently hiring full-time staff?Federal Government

No

Yes

24%

76%

32%

68%

2011 (n = 130)2010 (n = 161)


Is your organization currently hiring full-time staff?Federal Government

Health (89%)…is more likely to

be currently hiring full-time staffthan...

Construction, mining, oil and gas (66%)Federal government (68%)

Services—professional (71%)


The health industry is more likely to be currently hiring full-time staff compared with the construction, mining, oil and gas; federal government; and professional services industries.



At what level(s) is your organization hiring?Federal Government

Executive/upper management (e.g., CEO, CFO)

Nonmanagement hourly employees

Other management (e.g., directors, managers)

Nonmanagement salaried employees

39%

53%

61%

83%

Note: n = 87. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options. Only respondents whose organizations were currently hiring full-time staff were asked this question.


At what level(s) is your organization hiring?Federal Government


The federal government is more likely to be hiring nonmanagement salaried employees compared with the health and manufacturing industries.

Federal government (83%)

…is more likely tobe hiring nonmanagement salaried

employeesthan...

Health (60%)Manufacturing (64%)

The federal government is more likely to be hiring executive/upper management employees compared with the construction, mining, oil and gas; finance; manufacturing; professional services; and high-tech industries.


…is more likely tobe hiring executive/upper management employees

than...

Construction, mining, oil and gas (15%)Finance (19%)


High-tech (16%)



At what level(s) is your organization hiring? (Continued)Federal Government


The construction, mining, oil and gas; finance; health; manufacturing; and state and local government industries are more likely to be hiring nonmanagement hourly employees compared with the federal government and high-tech industries.



…are more likely tobe hiring nonmanagement hourly

employeesthan...

Federal government (53%)High-tech (51%)



Which of the following best describes, in general, the nature of full-time positions your organization is currently hiring?Federal Government

Note: Only respondents whose organizations were currently hiring full-time staff were asked this question.

Direct replacements of jobs lost (e.g., due to layoffs, attrition) since the recession began

New duties added to jobs lost (e.g., due to layoffs, attrition) since the recession began

Completely new positions

34%

9%

57%

69%

10%

21%

2011 (n = 84)2010 (n = 161)


Which of the following best describes, in general, the nature of full-time positions your organization is currently hiring?Federal Government


…is more likely tobe hiring direct replacements of jobs

lost since the recession began than...

Construction, mining, oil and gas (49%)Services—professional (47%)

High-tech (39%)


The federal government is more likely to be hiring direct replacements of jobs lost since the recession began compared with the construction, mining, oil and gas; professional services; and high-tech industries.

The high-tech industry is more likely to be hiring for completely new positions compared with the federal government, finance, health, and state and local government industries.

High-tech (46%)

…is more likely tobe hiring for completely new

positionsthan...

Federal government (21%)Finance (29%)Health (21%)

State and local government (12%)



Recruiting Challenges



In general, in the current labor market, is your organization having a difficult time recruiting for specific jobs that are open in your organization?Federal Government

Yes; 35%

No; 65%

Note: n = 80. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations were currently hiring full-time staff were asked this question.


In general, in the current labor market, is your organization having a difficult time recruiting for specific jobs that are open in your organization?Federal Government


High-tech (71%)

…are more likely tobe having difficulty recruiting for

specific jobs that are open in their organization

than...

Federal government (35%)State and local government (34%)


The manufacturing, professional services and high-tech industries are more likely to be having difficulty recruiting for specific jobs compared with the federal government, and state and local governments.



Do you believe that your organization is facing global competition (i.e., competition from other countries) for jobs that your organization is having difficulty filling?Federal Government

Yes; 28%

No; 72%

Note: n = 25. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations were having a difficult time recruiting for certain types of jobs were asked this question.


Has your organization hired any workers from outside the U.S. in an attempt to fill key jobs that have been difficult to fill?Federal Government

No, but we are considering it

No, but we have plans to do so in the next 12 months

No

Yes

0%

0%

80%

20%



Has your organization hired any U.S. veterans in an attempt to fill key jobs that have been difficult to fill?Federal Government

No, but we are considering it

No, but we have plans to do so in the next 12 months

No

Yes

0%

0%

4%

96%



Has your organization hired any U.S. veterans in an attempt to fill key jobs that have been difficult to fill?Federal Government

Federal government (96%)…is more likely to

have hired U.S. veteransthan...



Services—professional (38%)High tech (34%)


Respondents from the federal government are more likely to have hired U.S. veterans in an attempt to recruit for hard-to-fill jobs compared with those from the construction, mining, oil and gas; finance; health; manufacturing; state and local government; professional services; and high-tech industries.



In general, what basic skills/knowledge gaps do job applicants have in your industry?Federal Government

Other

Technical (computer, engineering, mechanical, etc.)

Humanities/arts

History/geography

Reading comprehension (in English)

English language (spoken)

Writing in English (grammar, spelling, etc.)

Foreign languages

Science

Mathematics (computation)

Government/economics

4%

0%

4%

4%

13%

17%

22%

26%

35%

39%

39%

Note: n = 23. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options. Only respondents whose organizations were having a difficult time recruiting for certain types of jobs were asked this question.


In general, what applied skill gaps do job applicants have in your industry?Federal Government

Other

Lifelong learning/self-direction

Leadership

Information technology application

Oral communications

Written communications

Teamwork/collaboration

Ethics/social responsibility

Creativity/innovation

Diversity

Professionalism/work ethic

Critical thinking/problem solving

0%

16%

20%

20%

24%

28%

28%

28%

28%

32%

36%

64%

Note: n = 25. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options. Only respondents whose organizations were having a difficult time recruiting for certain types of jobs were asked this question.

SHRM Poll: The Ongoing Impact of the Recession—Federal Government Agencies ©SHRM 2012

Specific Job Categories Organizations Have Difficulty RecruitingFederal Government

Administrative support staff (n=22)

Accounting and finance professionals (n=23)

Managers and executives (n=20)

High-skilled technical (e.g., technicians, programmers) (n=21)

28%

56%

65%

81%

Note: Chart represents “Somewhat difficult” and “Very difficult” responses. “Not applicable” responses were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents whose organizations were having a difficult time recruiting for certain types of jobs were asked this question. No statistics are provided where the n is less than 20; therefore, the job categories of “engineers” (n = 15), “HR professionals” (n = 19), “customer service representatives” (n = 15), “hourly laborers” (n = 12), “production operators” (n = 5), “drivers” (n = 7), “skilled trades” (n = 13), “sales representatives” (n = 4), “high-skilled medical” (n = 7) and “scientists” (n = 10) were excluded from this analysis.

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Demographics



Demographics: Organization Staff SizeFederal Government

25,000 or more employees

2,500 to 24,999 employees

500 to 2,499 employees

100 to 499 employees

1 to 99 employees

23%

28%

26%

16%

7%

31

n = 118


Demographics: OtherFederal Government

32

U.S.-based operations only 77%

Multinational operations 23%

Single-unit organization: An organization in which the location and the organization are one and the same

23%

Multi-unit organization: An organization that has more than one location 77%

Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices 46%

Each work location determines HR policies and practices 3%

A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determine HR policies and practices

51%

Is your organization a single-unit organization or a multi-unit organization?

For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit headquarters, by each work location or both?

Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only or does it operate multinationally?

n = 121 n = 124

n = 97

Corporate (companywide) 51%

Business unit/division 28%

Facility/location 22%

n = 97

What is the HR department/function you responded for throughout this survey?

Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.


SHRM Poll: The Ongoing Impact of the Recession:Federal Government

Response rate = 8% Sample composed of 130 randomly selected HR professionals from the federal

government in SHRM’s membership

With small sample sizes, the response of one participant can affect the overall results

considerably; this should be noted when making interpretations of the data, particularly

when interpreting small percentage differences.

Survey fielded August 18-September 2, 2011

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Methodology

Project leader:Tanya A. Mulvey, survey research analyst, SHRM Research

Project contributors:Mark Schmit, Ph.D., SPHR, vice president, SHRM ResearchEvren Esen, manager, SHRM Survey Research Center

Copy editor:Katya Scanlan, SHRM Knowledge Integration

For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research

http://www.shrm.org/surveys

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Recession poll 2011 federal gov

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