Intelligence Agencies Boost Contractor Hiring

The hiring of private contractors in the intelligence community has surged since 9/11, USA Today reports. Contractors now form a "key part" of the intelligence workforce, says Ron Sanders, human capital chief in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. About 40 percent of those hired are collecting or analyzing information -- which are traditionally core functions performed by federal employees. According to Sanders, about a quarter of the contractor workers have been brought on as a way to get around federal hiring limits, and they typically make more money than federal employees. The overall number of both government employees and contractors in the intelligence agencies is classified.