Sunday, July 25, 2010

The average federal employee only works 32 hours a week

There are no special studies needed.  No investigations required.  It's just simple math--the average federal employee works only about 32 hours a week.

There are 2,080 hours in the average annual work week (52 weeks * 40 hours = 2,080).

Federal employees earn 4 hours of sick leave and, after 15 years of service, get 8 hours of annual leave (vacation) time, per two-week pay period. That's 12 hours per pay period * 26 pay periods = 312 hours per year.

There are 10 federal holidays each year: New Years, Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  That's 10 holidays * 8 hours each = 80 hours of holiday time per year.

Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, Generals and Admirals often grant two to three days of Administrative leave each year. Admin leave is given for special events, like Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast, change of command ceremonies, local emergencies, weather events, etc.  Let's err on the low side and say two admin days * 8 hours = 16 hours per year.

We have 312 leave hours + 80 holiday hours + 16 admin hours = 408 hours each year.

2,080 - 408 = 1,672 hours worked.

1, 672 hours / 52 weeks = ~32 hours per week, or a three day weekend every week.  Nice, huh?

This doesn't count "junkets" like travel to conferences, training, field trips, etc.

Gimme some feedback in the comments.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

The only number that requires no discussion is 2080 manhours/year. As for the rest, it would be interesting to see comparisions between state, local, and various segments of private industry. For example, I'd guess that full time retail workers probably work the most hours per weeks.

David L. said...

Collect some data and do some analyses.

I'd be interested in that, too.

Post a Comment

You must have a Google Account to post a comment.

WARNING: Posting on this blog is a privilege. You have no First Amendment rights here. I am the sole, supreme and benevolent dictator. This blog commenting system also has a patented Dumbass Detector. Don't set it off.