Pay & Benefits Watch

TSP’s G Fund and The Debt Ceiling

When the government suspends reinvestments in the G Fund while it shores up its finances, one expert argues they should account for the missed payments separately from actual returns.

Pay and Prestige For Civil Servants: The Historical Advantages—and Disadvantages—of Government Work

The advantages have “helped to recruit and keep some very good people in government work,” according to one academic.

This Is What the Proposed 5.2% Fed Pay Raise Might Look Like With Inflation

Even with a largest in decades pay raise, inflation could keep fed salaries trailing behind the private sector.

It’s No Secret: Fed Pay Still Lags—But Union Leaders Have A Fix

Fed workers shouldn’t be “forced to see your standard of living fall over time,” says the director of public policy for the American Federation of Government Employees.

Pay Caps: Fed Exec Lobby Group Says Reform Is Past Due

“We are stuck with a personnel system mostly put together too many decades ago,” says a policy chief for the Senior Executives Association.

Federal Managers and Recruiters, Take Note: Salaries May Stay Way Behind Inflation's Spiral

Inflation could stymie federal agencies’ efforts to recruit new employees and hold on to existing ones.

Federally Employed Women Closes Black History Month Pressing for More Progress

The group can point to more than a half-century of advocacy, but leaders say equity and inclusion efforts remain critical.

Why Are Federal Courts Denying Hazardous Duty Pay For Feds Forced To Take Risks With COVID?

“On its face, in this case, it looks like one of those situations where hazard pay is denied for narrow, technical reasons,” says one labor historian.

Paid Family Leave: A Benefit Helpful to Just About Everyone—So Why So Slow In Coming?

It’s only in the last few years that feds got 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Now, a pending bill aims to cover caregiving in case of illness.

Don’t Overlook This Unloved Fund When Investing in the TSP

TSP participants can consider it another potential way to diversify a growth-oriented strategy.

Here’s Why Employees Stick With A (Federal) Job, and More

Federal employees—and those who recruit them—often laud the excellent benefits that come with working for the government, among other things.

The Debt Ceiling Could Hurt Feds’ Paychecks—But Only If Things Drag On

“Some of the proposed savings Republicans are seeking might come from federal employees’ compensation,” one fed advocate says.

Social Security: Could the New Congress’s Sharp Divide Lead to Compromise on Reform?

Social Security manages a huge chunk of what millions of fed families depend on for retirement, disability and survivor benefits, including the majority of current workers onboarded since the 1980s under the Federal Employees Retirement System.