Feds hiring 11,000 IT pros through 2012

While the economy is deep in the doldrums and jobs are hard to find, there is some good news for the IT community on the hiring front from the federal government. A new report out Thursday by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization, estimates that the federal government will be hiring 11,549 information technology workers over the next three years for positions that agencies have labeled as mission-critical.

The estimate is part of a survey of 35 of the largest federal agencies that were asked to provide their hiring projections for all types of civilian job--from Oct. 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2012--that they consider essential to fulfilling their obligations to the public. The jobs include everything from nurses and airport screeners to engineers, border agents, accountants, lawyers, administrators and law enforcement personnel.

The IT jobs include a wide range of skills as well as management positions, and will be available at numerous agencies and at locations across the country.

The most hiring will be done by the military. The Department of Defense, excluding the individual services, said it will hire 1,408 IT workers for mission-critical jobs. Separately, the Army projects a need for 1,874 new IT workers, the Navy 1,820 and the Air Force 716 during the three year period.

Other government IT hiring projections during the three years include:

* The Department of Homeland Security: 1.025
* The Department of the Treasury: 987
* The Department of Health and Human Services: 680
* The Department of Transportation: 611
* The Department of Commerce: 540
* The Department of Justice: 428

The estimates do not include data from the intelligence agencies, although officials have made clear there is a big need for cybersecurity specialists at the CIA, the National Security Agency and other parts of the national spy apparatus.
 
For all the details:
- see the Partnership for Public Service website