While the federal government hired more veterans in the last year in comparison to previous years, most of the vet hires are being on-boarded specifically to the Department of Veteran Affairs or Defense departments. In a report issued Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management, it was noted that employed veterans made up about 26.3 percent of the total workforce, or around 542,641 veterans in 2010—about 30,000 additional hires as compared to the previous year. In 2009, veterans constituted 25.8 percent of the total workforce. The majority of the growth came in the Defense departments, with 22,000 veterans added. As compared to 2009, Veterans Affairs employed around 4,200 more veterans.

OPM Director John Berry stated that these figures show that the Veterans Employment Initiative of President Obama is bearing results. Despite these results, Berry pointed out that “while we've accomplished a lot in the first year, too many veterans are still unemployed, and we're going to keep pushing to do even better going forward.”

 Have you noticed an uptick in veteran hiring in your department? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Post a Comment (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Leadership was the topic of the day last Thursday, March 31, when the Center for Human Capital Innovation (CHCI) hosted an all-day conference entitled “Leading Government Through Turbulent Times.”

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Scott Gould kicked off the event with a keynote speech that detailed what it was like to lead in a high-level position at the country’s second-largest federal agency. Gould called for transformative leadership government-wide, and encouraged attendees not to let things like budget restraints deter them from pushing forward with innovative ideas.

 

Gould’s sentiments were echoed by his fellow speakers, including the Office of Management and Budget’s Shelley Metzenbaum, the Office of Personnel Management’s Stephen Shih and Angela Bailey, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Jody Hudson, the Partnership for Public Service’s John Palguta, Hay Group’s Connie Schroyer, and the Lincoln Leadership Institute’s Steve Wiley.

 

The Navy’s Capt. Mike Abrashoff closed the day by sharing stories about his experiences as the former commander of the USS Benfold, previously one of the Navy’s worst ships before being reformed by Abrashoff and his leadership style. Abrashoff encouraged audience members to lead with positivity by highlighting workers on their staff that have turned in excellent performances.

 

The conference concluded with a Call to Action, in which participants were requested to join CHCI in forming a Leadership Community of Practice. The group will work together to put into practice some of the leadership ideas discussed at Thursday’s event.

 

If you have any ideas how CHCI can help to transform the government’s leadership techniques for the better, please leave your thoughts in the comments section. Did you attend last week’s event? What was your greatest takeaway from the day?

Post a Comment (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink