Economist

The 0110 series, Economist, covers professional economic analysis: market and competition studies, cost-benefit and regulatory analysis, forecasting and research. Recent employers have ranged from the Federal Trade Commission, which uses economists in antitrust and consumer protection cases, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Recent listings have included economists at several grades, interdisciplinary announcements open to economists, an economist and lead economist at the Millennium Challenge Corporation and a regional economist at the FDIC under direct hire authority.

Applying tip: the series has a positive education requirement, a degree that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 in statistics, accounting or calculus, and research-focused employers generally expect a graduate degree. Note that the FDIC and the Millennium Challenge Corporation use their own pay systems rather than the General Schedule, so compare the salary line rather than the grade. Our GS pay scale guide explains how General Schedule grades work for the rest.