Maybe They Haven't Heard About the Pay Freeze

Governors may be trying to strip public employees of bargaining rights, and President Obama may feel the need to plead that government employees should not be "denigrated or vilified," but the New York Times reports that there's one group of people who still view public service favorably: recent college graduates.

In 2009, the paper reports, 16 percent more young college grads worked for the federal government than in the previous year and 11 percent more for nonprofit groups. Data indicate the trend continued last year.

Of course, some of the people in these jobs are taking them because they can't find the corporate work they would have sought in a better economy. But some genuinely want to make a difference. The big question for federal agencies is, will these young people continue to think they have an opportunity to have an impact after they've worked in government for awhile? If not, they eventually will flee not just to the private sector but to the nonprofit world. Assuming the economy actually improves, retention could be a major issue for agencies in the coming years.