Help Wanted: Government Seeks Retiring Baby Boomers

[14 January 2007 - Fox News] The federal government is targeting millions of retiring baby boomers to replace the estimated one-half of their colleagues eligible to retire from federal service in the next few years, according to the Partnership for Public Service, an advocacy organization for federal careers. Maryland retirees, in particular, are prime candidates for the second career push because of their proximity to the many federal agencies with homes in both Washington and Maryland. "The government is resource-challenged right now," said John Emens, a federally employed, second-career, baby boomer who spent 22 years living and working in Maryland. "Huge amounts of money are going to homeland security and the Iraq war. If I'm interviewing someone from Laurel and someone from Louisiana, and I can't offer a relocation package, the person from Laurel has the advantage." More than 112,000 federal employees work in Maryland for 41 different federal agencies, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This makes up 6 percent of the total federal workforce. The Department of Health and Human Resources tops the list for the most federal workers employed in the state. The Partnership for Public Service announced its campaign earlier this week to educate retirees about the opportunities available at the federal level. More