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Economist / Statistician (Economics)

Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/04/2020 to 12/09/2020
Salary
$48,159 to - $79,472 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07 - 09
Locations
FEW vacancies in the following locations:
Boston, MA
New York, NY
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel by any means of government or public transportation may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the need for an employee promoted to the higher level, and supervisory approval.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-21-CHI-BLS-043
Control number
586256600

Duties

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This position is with the U.S. Department of Labor/Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Field Operations.  

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled either as an Economist or Statistician (Economics).

This position is inside the bargaining unit. 

Duties include but are not limited to:

  • The incumbent plans, schedules, and conducts data collection assignments using fairly complex economic or statistical techniques which are covered by established methods and procedures. Work requires some adaptation of established procedures, the recognition of the significance of variations, and interpretation of limited findings. 

  • Makes arrangements preparatory to obtaining voluntary data from enterprises for which the collection of data is expected to present relatively few complexities and for which precedents exist. Applies standard practices and techniques to the solicitation of data and reports information in accordance with survey requirements.

  • Evaluates the data collected and makes adjustments or follow-up contact with respondents to ensure reliability and comparability as well as reasonableness and conformance to survey requirements.

  • Prepares end-of-survey reports that critically evaluate collection experiences in relations to survey design and specifications, survey materials, economic conditions affecting the industry and area studied, and trends in the industry and area.  Recommends modifications in survey methods oriented toward improvements in the survey plan.

    Duties at the GS-07, GS-09 are development leading up to the full performance level of the GS-12.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Requires a valid drivers license.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

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 the Basic Requirement:

GS-7: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5.

GS-9: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7. 

Specialized experience should include a thorough range of complex economic professional work. Some examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

GS-7: Sampling, collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data; applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

GS-9: Individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate thesis in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.

OR

Education Substitution:

GS-7: 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement.

Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

  • Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed.
  • Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
  • Election to membership in an approved national scholastic honor society.

GS-9: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

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.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

DELEGATED EXAMINING UNIT AGREEMENT DOL-1 2010

This position is located in Boston, MA or New York, NY.

Final duty location and salary will be determined based on selection.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) 

All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Customer Service - Works with clients and customers to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations.

Decision Making - Employs strategic & critical approaches to decision-making and/or problem solving.

Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial).

Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Self Management - Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

Technology Application and Management- Uses machines, tools, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

Writing - Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Economic Data Management and Analysis - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - Please see additional information section.

The information you provide on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLES ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified".

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.


To preview questions please click here.

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