The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making. This position is with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Field Operations, National Compensation Survey, Philadelphia Region. This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled either as an Economist or Statistician (Economics).

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: GS-11 Collects data from the full range of businesses/sample units for assigned survey(s) to include more complex industries or collection situations. Develops the data collection strategy for complex respondents, including those that may have had a history of non-response or reluctance to participate. Evaluates the conflicting needs of the surveys' deadlines and instructions with the respondent's participation history in order to determine the most efficient and effective method of participation. Ensures accurate and timely survey results by evaluating responses for external and internal consistency and comparability with previously provided information. Provides feedback covering collection experiences and participates in test or process improvement projects as assigned. Provides information to respondents about the potential uses of published data for assigned program areas as well as other BLS products. Provides information on the meaning, uses, and caveats pertaining to BLS data. Ensures that technical inquiries are responded to in an efficient and timely manner. Under the direction of senior staff or supervisor, may assist with mentoring of junior staff or perform quality assurance tasks. GS-12 Carries out complex data collection assignments requiring the development and modification of collection techniques and procedures. Works with businesses having complex structures and/or highly confidential records, and usually requiring central office clearance or corporate officers' approval for participation. Develops the data collection strategy for respondents that have a history of nonresponse or a reluctance to participate. Evaluates the conflicting needs of the surveys' deadlines and instructions with the enterprise's participation history in order to determine the most efficient and effective method of participation. Participates in a variety of staff development and data assessment activities including: Mentoring of less experienced staff and providing on-the-job training for field staff; Planning training programs and conducting training sessions; Planning quality assurance programs and performing data quality interviews Performing data assessment reviews Provides consultative services to critical survey respondents and sophisticated users of BLS data from the business, labor, and academic communities.

Requirements

• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled either as an Economist or a Statistician (Economics). BASIC REQUIREMENTS Economist, GS-0110: A) Degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting or calculus. OR B) A combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Statistician (Economics), GS-1530: A) Degree that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing. OR B) A combination of education and experience - courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, applicants must also meet the minimum qualifications to be considered For GS-11: Applicants must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled); OR one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). Examples of specialized experience include: Participates in moderately complex data collection and analysis to ensure the quality assurance of respondent data. Assists in end-of-survey reports on industry characteristics, economic conditions, and trends in the area of specialty gleaned from survey experiences. For GS-12: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11 in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience include: Participates in heavily complex data collection and analysis to ensure the quality assurance of respondent data. Develops end-of-survey reports on industry characteristics, economic conditions, and trends in the area of specialty gleaned from survey experiences. Recommends and develops changes to survey design and methodology geared toward improvement in the survey plan. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. For additional information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management Operating Manual for Qualification Standards, Group Coverage Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions. Individual Occupation Requirements for Economist Series GS-110. Individual Occupation Requirement for Statistician Series GS-1530.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Contacts

• Address Bureau of Labor Statistics 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Yanitza Roman
• Phone: 312-596-5400
• Email: [email protected]