The US Federal Government has had managed pay forever. The way it works is, no matter how good you are or how skilled you are, your pay is primarily driven by

The US Federal Government has had managed pay forever. The way it works is, no matter how good you are or how skilled you are, your pay is primarily driven by other factors, such as time in grade. Very rarely, a superstar performer will get accelerated promotion, but much more often, top performers will leave for greener pastures and give themselves a raise. Over time this means the people retained are the bottom tier to mediocre performers.