Federal News Countdown: Fed pensions targeted, hiring reform

Agilex\'s Bob Otto and Federal Management Partners\' John Salamone count down the top federal news stories of the week.

Today’s Federal News Countdown guests are:
Bob Otto, Executive Vice President, Agilex
John Salamone, Managing Consultant, Federal Management Partners

Bob Otto’s stories
#3 OPM touts transformation of federal hiring
From Federal News Radio:

In the year since President Obama called for major reforms to the federal hiring process, agencies have transformed, the Office of Personnel Management says.

John Berry, OPM’s director, today said less than 4 percent of all agencies use knowledge, skills and abilities essays, the time it takes to hire a new employee on average is 105 days. Several other changes are making the government more like the private sector in how it recruits and hires new employees.

#2 Federal CIOs struggling to balance agility and governance
From Fierce Government IT:

shift from waterfall acquisition to more agile, modular strategies continues to be discussed and encouraged governmentwide. But in federal information technology, governance of the applications and devices being used is paramount, and this can make agile development difficult, said participants on a May 16 panel at he ACT-IAC Management of Change Conference.

#1 Paying for It
From Government Executive:

Barely a day goes by that a new proposal doesn’t emerge targeting federal pay and benefits as a way to reduce the deficit. In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of them, though both supporters and opponents remain helpfully vocal on the subject.

John Salamone’s stories
#3 For Vietnamese family, an emotional rescue and reunion
From Washington Post:

In 1982, the third time Tuyen Vu and her husband tried to escape from communist Vietnam, they squeezed into the bottom of a crowded fishing boat, feeding their small son and daughter sleeping pills to keep them quiet.

But the engine died 150 miles off the coast. As a storm brewed and other refugees frantically bailed water, Vu curled up with her infant son, sure they would die. Then Corwin “Al” Bell, captain of the USS Morton, spotted their boat and, defying orders, took 52 exhausted men, women and children on board.

#2 One year of federal hiring reforms: Is it any better?
From Washington Post:

It’s been about a year since the Obama administration announced plans to revamp the federal hiring process and shorten the length of time it takes federal agencies to post a new job, interview applicants and hire a new employee.

#1 Federal worker pensions emerge as target in debt-reduction talks
From Washington Post:

The generous pension system enjoyed by millions of federal workers from clerks to senators and judges has emerged as a key target in negotiations between Vice President Biden and congressional leaders looking to restrain the growing national debt.

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