Pros
Having a job in the government during a bad economy can be very helpful.
Cons
EBSA National Office is very different than the regional offices. Many investigators and benefit advisors have complained about their individual regional directors but the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program Operations has not removed them because they still perform well based on numbers. The National Office is quite similar with characters who can be difficult to work with, however this is typical of the government. While pay is low in both the regional and national offices, the regional promotion ladder is quite transparent. The national office ladder is much less transparent. Having worked in many different government offices, I have ultimately found that EBSA employees have gotten too comfortable.