Study: Government IT Workers Deserve Raise

A study commissioned by the CIO Council and the Administrative Office of the Courts is recommending that the pay system be revamped for federal information technology workers.

Among its recommendations, the report said the cap on salaries for government IT executives should be raised to the same level as the vice president's pay of $175,400.

The study, "The Transforming Power of Information Technology: Making the Federal Government an Employer of Choice for IT Employers," was released Sept. 5 at the Interagency Resources Management Conference in Hershey, Pa.

The system of 10 pay grades with numerous steps in each grade also should be eliminated, the report said. In its place, there should be four broad pay bands. Managers should have the freedom to pay according to merit salaries within each of those bands.

The report also recommends that base salaries be established via market surveys. The surveys should be conducted at least twice a year.

Government managers also have to pay more attention to balancing work and life issues. Managers also should be given the freedom to be flexible but should be held accountable through peer reviews, program reviews and budget controls.

Another finding is that the government spends too little on training. The academy's survey found that agencies spend an amount equivalent to between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of their payrolls on training, compared to the 4 percent to 5 percent spent by the private sector.

The study was conducted by the National Academy of Public Administration for the federal Chief Information Officer's Council and the courts. The academy surveyed federal, state and local government officials as well as executives in the private sector and governments outside the United States.