Economist

Applicants must meet the Basic Requirements and the Minimum qualifications to qualify for each series and grade they wish to be considered for.

01Basic 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.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, applicants must also meet the Minimum Qualifications to be considered: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-5 in the Federal Service. 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. Specialized experience should include a thorough range of complex economic professional work.

Some examples of qualifying specialized experience include: GS-07: Planned, scheduled, and collected economic or survey data from assigned companies and industries and collected data via protocols such as personal visits, video collaboration tools, phone, and or/email, or entered collected data into software for review and transmittal. OR Education Substitution: GS-07: 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 courses.

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 a national scholastic honor society. A list of acceptable honor societies can be found at Certified Member Societies OR Combination of Education and Specialized Experience GS-07: An appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (less than a year) that when combined totals to one year. Education must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this position. 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.

Duties include but are not limited to: Plans, schedules, and conducts data collection assignments using fairly complex economic or statistical techniques which are covered by established methods and procedures. 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 to ensure reliability and comparability as well as reasonableness and conformance to survey requirements. Makes follow-up contact to respondents providing data to ensure accurate and timely survey results. While most data requirements are straight forward, some analysis is necessary to ensure that the data reported are accurate.

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. Performs other duties as assigned. For training and development purposes, assignments may include some segments or aspects of work that are typically at a higher level.

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