Dateline: Sept. 23, 2015 

Maybe they can smell the rotting morale of federal workers, but for some reason, millennials – people under 30 – are now avoiding working for the federal government in record numbers.

Long considered the government’s source of its “best and brightest” employees, millennials now comprise only 6.6% of the federal workforce, compared to 9.1% as recently as 2010 and the fewest since 2005, according to a new survey by the Partnership for Public Service.


In addition, the percentage of younger millennials – those under age 25 – in the federal workforce has fallen from 2% in 2010, to just 0.9% in 2015. By comparison, statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 23.5% of the entire U.S. workforce is under age 30.

“The greatest challenge for federal agencies is recruiting and retaining younger employees, those who represent the foundation of the workforce in the years ahead,” said the Partnership for Public Service in its study, “Improving the Employee Experience.”

The Thrill is Gone So Soon

The study showed that once millennials are hired, the “thrill” is gone far too soon. After just the first year of federal employment, their job satisfaction and commitment rating drops from 72.3 to 62.5 on a scale of 100 -- a 10-point plunge. No matter how long they continue to work in government, their job satisfaction rating never reaches its first-year level.

Correctly noting that many people who choose to work for the government “are motivated by a desire to make a difference,” the study reveals that only 54.2% of government employees agree that their talents are used well in the workplace, compared to 62.9% in 2003.

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“When employees do not feel like they are being effectively utilized, morale and productivity suffer, stated the study. “The data strongly suggests that more needs to be done to capitalize on the strengths of the workforce.”

Then, there’s training. Or lack of it, in the case of federal government jobs. According to the study, only 46.8% of all federal employees surveyed in 2014 said they were satisfied with the job training they received, compared to 55.4% in 2005. Data from human resources consultants Hay Group show that 62% of of private sector employees are satisfied with their training.

Not Feeling Appreciated

Most employees, especially the good ones, want to feel that their bosses appreciate their efforts. Unfortunately, federal workers say they just are not getting that warm-and-fuzzy feeling.

“Showing appreciation in the workplace matters, and it is important for federal civil servants given the critical nature of their work and the public attitude toward the federal government, which is at an all-time low,” said the study.

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In 2014, only 41.8% of federal government employees said they were satisfied with the recognition they received for doing a good job, which represents a decrease of 8.5 points from the highest level in 2009. It is also nearly 20 percentage points lower than private sector employees, according to the Hay Group’s 2014 surveys.

Not Feeling Promoted

Within one year of being hired, an increasing number of federal employees reported feeling that they had ended up in a dead-end job with little chance of promotion.

“From the perspective of employees, seeing a future path for themselves in the organization is important,” stated the Partnership for Public Service study. “Some employees, depending on their occupation and position, may be more inclined to stay on the job if they see opportunities to grow and advance their careers.”

In the Partnership’s 2014 survey, only 31.1% of federal employees said they felt satisfied with their chances for promotion. That’s a drop of 8.8 percentage points since 2010 and 13.9 points lower than in the private sector.

However, as the Partnership points out, “the relatively low score in the private sector (45%) also suggests that this may be a particularly challenging part of the talent lifecycle for any organization."