Millennials under-represented in federal workforce as a retirement boom looms
Hamilton Turner has the kind of computer engineering and data analysis skills federal employers like the National Security Agency want, but when it came time to head into the workforce, he chose instead a job at OptioLabs, one of Baltimore's up-and-coming cyber startups.
"I'd be going for secret or top-secret positions, and that just wasn't something I was terribly interested in," said Turner, 28. "I can do work where I can't talk about it, but, on the average, I enjoy the camaraderie that comes with being able to share your work."
Turner's choice is one a growing number of millennials are making. The generation now accounts for 36 percent of the civilian workforce but is under-represented in the federal workforce. Adults ages 18 to 34 made up about a quarter of federal workers in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What millennials look for in a job may explain why so many are choosing private-sector work over public service, experts said. While their parents may have sought jobs with stability, a hefty paycheck and the promise of upward mobility, many millennials instead put a premium on positions where they can be creative, work as part of a team and feel they are making a difference.
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