Execs want higher pay, but don't expect to get it

Federal executives want better salaries, but they don't expect the government to offer compensation comparable to the private sector, according to a survey of the Senior Executive Service scheduled to be released this week.

While 72 percent of SESers told the PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government that offering better salaries would improve the government's ability to recruit and retain top talent, just five percent said they expect the government to ever boost pay to levels comparable with the private sector.

"There is a war for talent raging around the world. The U.S. federal government must be able to attract and retain high quality leaders now and in the future," said Ian Littman, co-chairman of the endowment. "The current federal executive compensation system clearly is a 'worst practice'-a system in which executive compensation is severely compressed and capped, and one that provides few incentives for performance."

Most executives surveyed said they had thought about leaving the government at some point in their careers. The main reason given was low pay, followed by frustration with bureaucracy, inflexibility and slowness, the survey said. Career SESers also worry that negative perceptions about working for the government and cumbersome hiring practices hurt agencies' ability to bring in new executive blood.

Despite their concerns, a majority of the 347 SESers interviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers said their work is interesting, exciting and challenging.

"Every once in a while I am offered a job in the private sector, with more money," one executive said. "But that's not what rings my chime. I have a lot of friends in the private sector who make a lot of money, but who would love to get to do what I do."

Asked what attributes are critical for future SESers, executives gave the most weight to adaptability and flexibility when faced with change. They also said top feds must be visionary, think strategically and hold themselves and their subordinates accountable for achieving desired results.

A majority of SESers also ranked customer orientation and commitment to public service as highly important skills. Financial management, alliance-building, valuing diversity and information technology management were seen as highly important by about 40 percent of SESers. Only one in four said expertise in a specific field is an important attribute for a government executive.

"Many people have traditionally held the notion that government careerists rise to the top primarily because of their technical expertise," the endowment's summary of the survey said. "Whether or not this is true, federal executives now rank technical expertise lowest among the list of ten leadership attributes."

While executives think the government should reform the civil service, including boosting pay, few think major change will occur. In addition to higher salaries, execs would like to see a more flexible compensation scale, but few think such changes will actually be implemented. SESers, however, do expect to see reformed performance review systems, better executive training and better recruiting efforts.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government will officially announce the survey results on Wednesday. The endowment, based in Arlington, Va., promotes research on improving public sector operations and management.

The executive survey is available online at endowment.pwcglobal.com.