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. The position is located in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Prices and Living Conditions (OPLC), Division of Producer Price Index (PPI).

Duties

The BLS headquarters is currently in the process of relocating within the National Capital Area to Suitland, Maryland. If selected for this position, with an assigned duty station of Suitland, MD (Metropolitan Washington DC area), you may be eligible for limited telework with approval from your supervisor, based on onsite duties and responsibilities, while the new headquarters is being completed. Upon completion of the new headquarters offices in Suitland, MD, you will be expected to report in person to the Suitland Federal Center after receiving notification to do so. At that time, you may be eligible for limited telework, consistent with the telework policies of the Department of Labor, with approval from your supervisor, based on onsite duties and responsibilities, and if consistent with telework policies and mission needs of BLS. As an Economist with the Division of Producer Price Index (PPI) you will: Conduct applied research and participate in studies designed to provide solutions to new and existing needs and problems in industry price measurement and price behavior analysis. Review the collected data, price developments, and related factors for assigned areas of the PPI. Develop data collection materials and methodologies for assigned areas of the PPI. Develop or review hedonic models for application to Quality Adjustments in the PPI. Assist staff in developing skills and knowledge of statistical techniques such as regression analysis. Serve on or lead Project Teams. Direct and participate in special projects to improve industry pricing methodology and to improve index quality. Provide on-the-job training, mentoring, and technical expertise to staff as assigned. Represent Section on high-level team working on development of program and program-related training for existing Branch of Industry Price (BIP) staff and new hires. Responsible for ensuring that all standing pre-pricing production tasks for the Program are completed. Participate in Division of Industrial Prices and Price Indexes (DIPPI) monitoring of the automated and manual processes involved in completing index production tasks and either implements or recommends enhancements to the processes. Contribute to the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the Producer Price Index (PPI) Industry Study Manual, which is used by PPI industry analysts. Participate in identifying and implementing opportunities for outreach to trade associations and other organizations in support of BIP responsibilities. Utilize R, Python, SQL, and other programming languages to prepare and analyze data.

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.

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Requirement and the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Economist position, as described below. Basic Requirement A) Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus. OR B) Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Specialized Experience In addition to the basic requirement above, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the federal service. This one year of specialized experience must be in or related to the field of economics or statistics and must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, judgment, and technical competence in order to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as work that demonstrates a thorough understanding of economic principles and theories as well as experience with the following: Used statistical techniques such as regression analysis to analyze and summarize data; Accessed computer databases for analytical and/or computational purposes and provided special index calculations utilizing either routine or specialized computer programs; Initiated, planned, and conducted research and investigations to solve unusual problems; Prepared and delivered talks or lectures to professional or academic audiences; Conducted on-the-job training or mentoring.

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 course work 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: Holly Huntsberger
• Phone: 312-353-4781
• Email: [email protected]