Sizing Up the Competition

Which companies are the federal government's biggest competitors for IT workers? USAA, Securian Financial, General Mills, Genentech and Verizon, to name a few, according to Computerworld's 2011 list of the top 100 places to work in IT.

Unfortunately, the top 100 list, which is compiled based on reader nominations, does not include any federal departments or agencies. Last year, the U.S. Postal Service was the lone federal winner, coming in at 93.

The list also includes the top benefits and other incentives IT workers at leading organizations believe are key to job satisfaction, and this could be useful for federal agencies looking to attract, hire and retain IT professionals. For example, when asked what is most important about their jobs, IT professionals said working in an enjoyable environment (94 percent), being fairly compensated for their work (93 percent) and having access to training opportunities to further their skills (88 percent).

Paid vacation (75 percent), health insurance (73 percent), stock options/401(k) plans (53 percent), telecommuting (49 percent) and flexible hours (45 percent), were the benefits most valuable to IT workers.

IT professionals also rated overall morale in their departments highly, with 57 percent rating it at very good or excellent. In addition, they noted stress levels to be fairly low, with 47 percent saying their jobs were just somewhat stressful, and 19 percent reporting little or no stress at their jobs.

Should your agency have made the list? There's always next year, but keep in mind that readers must submit nominations for their agency to be considered. Nominations are now open for the 2012 list.

Wired Workplace is a daily look at issues facing the federal information technology workforce. It is written by former Government Executive reporter Brittany Ballenstedt and published on Nextgov.com. Click here to read the latest entries.