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A bigger federal footprint, increased hiring of procurement and contract analysts by federal agencies, and satellite city halls in shopping malls are a few of the predictions being made by career coach and Kiplinger.com contributing columnist Marty Nemko. 

“President Obama and his appointees are united in their plans to increase the size of government, especially in mass transit, alternative energy, supervised economic rescues and regulation of financial markets, and education (Head Start, inner-city schools, community colleges),” Nemko wrote in a recent column. “The growth will be in the federal government; states and municipalities will have a harder time raising money.”

Federal agencies “can’t do it all themselves, so they will be contracting out” tasks and functions, Nemko added. Those agencies will need more procurement and contract analysts to make sure acquisition and outsourcing contracts and other paperwork are properly filled out, he told GovPro.com.

Other hot government jobs “include project analyst, program analyst, management analyst, accountant, economist and software engineer (especially those with a compliance background),” according to Nemko.

Headed for a ‘B-to-G’ economy

While the public sector grows, the private sector will shrink further, as companies tighten their belts in response to ever-increasing global competition as well as new burdens imposed on business that President Obama and the new Congress are advocating, Nemko asserted. Some examples of those burdens include increased taxes and regulations, mandated paid family leave and sick days, further jumps in the minimum wage, and increased legal rights for workers, according to Nemko.

“In previous eras, most American businesses viewed other businesses or the consumer as their customer. Now, it’s going to be the government,” Nemko told GovPro.com. “So the sound bite is, instead of businesses being B-to-B or B-to-C, it’s going to be B-to-G.” 

Shrinking retail establishments offer proof, Nemko added.

“Shopping malls will provide a visual manifestation of the transfer of dollars from the private sector to the government: Closed stores will be replaced by government agencies,” Nemko asserted. “For example, cities such as Denton, Texas; Coral Springs, Fla.; and High Point, N.C., have a satellite city hall in the mall.”

To visit Nemko’s Web site, click here.