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Although the Federal Government employed workers in almost every occupation in 2002, about 3 out of 4 Federal workers were employed in professional and related; management, business, and financial; or office and administrative support occupations.
Professional and related occupations accounted for about a third of Federal employment. The largest group of professional workers worked in life, physical, and social science occupations, such as biological scientists, conservation scientists and foresters, environmental scientists and geoscientists, and forest and conservation technicians. The Department of Agriculture employed the vast majority of life scientists, but physical scientists were distributed throughout a variety of departments and agencies.
Large numbers of Federal workers also held jobs as engineers, including aerospace, civil, computer hardware, electrical and electronics, industrial, mechanical, and nuclear engineers. Engineers were found in many departments of the executive branch, but they most commonly worked in the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Transportation. In general, they solve problems and provide advice on technical programs, such as building highway bridges or implementing agency-wide computer systems.
Professional workers employed in legal occupations include lawyers,judges, magistrates, and law clerks.
Computer specialists—primarily computer software engineers, network and computer systems analysts, and computer systems administrators—are employed throughout the Federal government. They write computer programs, analyze problems related to data processing, and keep computer systems running smoothly. Many health professionals, such as registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and licensed practical nurses were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in one of many VA hospitals.
Management, business, and financial workers made up about 28 percent of Federal employment and were primarily responsible for overseeing operations. Legislators, for example, are responsible for passing and amending laws. Managerial workers include a broad range of officials who, at the highest levels, may head Federal agencies or programs. Middle managers, on the other hand, usually oversee one activity or aspect of a program.
Others provide management support. Accountants and auditors prepare and analyze financial reports, review and record revenues and expenditures, and investigate operations for fraud and inefficiency. Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents determine and collect taxes. Purchasing agents handle Federal purchases of supplies; and management analysts study government operations and systems and suggest improvements.
About 17 percent of Federal workers were in office and administrative support occupations. These employees aid management staff with administrative duties. Administrative support workers in the Federal Government include secretaries and general office clerks.
Compared with the economy as a whole, workers in service occupations were relatively scarce in the Federal Government. Almost three-fourths of all Federal workers in service occupations were protective service workers, such as detectives and criminal investigators, police and sheriff’s patrol officers, and correctional officers and jailers. These workers protect the public from crime and oversee Federal prisons.
Federally employed workers in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations include aircraft mechanics and service technicians who fix and maintain all types of aircraft, and electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers, who inspect, adjust, and repair electronic equipment such as industrial controls, transmitters, antennas, radar, radio, and navigation systems.
The Federal Government employed a relatively small number of workers in transportation, production, and construction occupations, such as air traffic controllers and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers.
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