when I was in the feds (in 2020) to get a GS5 you either served in the military or had a bachelors+. making it to above GS7 there was strict requirements when I left. at GS7 with college degree, full time 40hrs plus overtime we made $42k, this was at an office full of scientists with phd masters and bachelors (some had dual degrees). I always wondered how the postal office workers made so much more than the other fed branches. to me this sounds like they want to rebalance salaries. we used to get "quality of life" increases every year. they were basically bonus to fight inflation. in 2020, I got a 1.2% increase to my $42k. it amounted to like such a minuscule amount of money it was embarrassing. the federal govt is a mess. their hiring practices on USAJobs are very questionable. the "requirements" set for many positions are completely arbitrary and downright ridiculous sometimes. the system rewards the wrong things, instead of rewarding merit, the federal govt lost that a long time ago and rewards select candidates who meet an increasingly silly set of specific requirements to gatekeep the positions for whoever they like the most.