Defense Agency's 'Trickle Down' in N.Y. State

Seems like the Mohawk Valley in New York State is a good place to be an accountant or auditor right now.

Fast-paced job growth at the U.S. Defense Finance and Accounting Service is fueling hiring competition among other financial institutions locally, job experts say.

The expansion of DFAS at Griffiss Business and Technology Park vaulted the government and the business/finance sector into two of the top three spots on the Mohawk Valley's job growth list. Health-care jobs also are among the three fastest-growing sectors.

The planned addition of 600 jobs at DFAS, announced in August 2005, has led to an expected growth in government hiring. But it has also created a ripple effect as workers transfer to DFAS from private banks and financial institutions.

"It's like if DFAS hires a person and they, say, came from a credit union, which might hire someone from a retail operation and it just trickles down," said Alice Savino, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board of Herkimer, Oneida and Madison Counties.

Growing DFAS attracts local bank workersAgency's expansion creates hiring ripple effect [Utica Observer-Dispatch]