Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for October 19, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
October 19, 2017: A report by Politico found that the federal workforce is “significantly older” than the private sector workforce. Only 17% of today’s federal workers are under the age of 35. In contrast, such young workers make up nearly 40% of the private sector workforce.
At the other end of the spectrum, 13% of federal workers are over 60.[1]
There are many reasons for the federal government’s struggle to attract younger workers.
However, one key factor may have been captured by veteran journalist Ron Fournier. He wrote that millennials “are fiercely committed to community service.” At the same time, “they don’t see politics or government as a way to improve their communities, their country, or the world.” Fournier “spent two days at Harvard, and couldn’t find a single student whose career goal is Washington or elective office. ... To Millennials, the world is filled with injustice and need, but government isn’t the solution. They have apps for that.”[2]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- October 18, 2017 – $131 billion in corporate tax expenditures
- October 17, 2017 – 40 percent of cloud computing market controlled by Amazon
- October 16, 2017 – 15 state legislative chambers could see change in partisan control
- October 13, 2017 – 51 percent of Americans say government should not favor any set of values
- October 12, 2017 – 32 percent decline in regulatory rules in Trump’s first nine months
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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