Newly hired federal employees are starting out at higher pay than in the past, USA Today reports:
A 20- to 24-year-old auto mechanic started at an average of $46,427 this year, up from $36,750 five years ago. The government hires about 400 full-time auto mechanics a year.
A 30- to 34-year-old lawyer started at an average of $101,045 this year, up from $79,177 five years ago. The government hires about 2,500 lawyers a year. And a mechanical engineer, age 25 to 29, started at $63,675, up from $51,746 in 2006. The government hires about 600 mechanical engineers a year.
Also, "Under the Obama administration, layoffs from reorganizations have dropped by two-thirds to fewer than 300 a year in the 2.1 million person workforce. Workers are 13 times more likely to die of natural causes than get laid off from the federal government," and "The portion of federal workers earning $100,000 or more grew from 12% in 2006 to 22% in 2011."
This isn't responsible for all of the deficit or debt problem, but it's certainly part of it. USA Today has been doing consistently good work covering the issue. This is another one, like Social Security Disability Insurance, that I'm surprised that I don't hear the Republican presidential candidates talking more about.
