A 'Plum Book' of government jobs for Obama to fill

While the nation's unemployment rate rises to a 14-year high, there is someone who is hiring -- President-elect Obama. But just how many jobs does he have to fill?

We know already that with more than 1.8 million civilian employees, excluding the Postal Service, the Federal Government is the Nation’s largest employer. According to the 'Plum Book' -- a 209-page paperback position inventory, the new Obama administration will be looking to replace about 8,000 positions from the Bush administration.

Hope he has a good human resources director, like Mrs. Wolak.

Ambassadors are one job covered in our textbook -- this page will show you what the Book says about those jobs. Jobs in the EOP (Executive Office of the President) can be found on this page. Go here for the entire cabinet. Go here for the legend. Finally, you can read an article by the Washington Post on the 'Plum Book' here.

Fascinating stuff, your bureaucracy at work. Remember, Democrats and Republicans administrations alike, the Federal Government is always hiring every four years.

A career guide to industries in the Federal Government can be found here, at the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm