How Federal Agencies Can Attract College Graduates

Abstract

When asked about post-graduation plans, 27.3% of students declared intent to pursue working in private industry, while 2% intended to work for the federal government. Employees younger than 30 make up only 8.5% of the federal workforce, compared to 23.2% of the U.S. overall workforce (“College Students,” 2014). Despite this disparity, 92% of the students I surveyed in age groups younger than 31 stated that they were willing to apply for federal positions if an agency scored well in categories students deemed important. In addition, students ranked work-life balance, pay, and performance-based rewards as their top three most important categories, which scored fourth, seventh, and tenth, respectively, by federal employees in 2019.