RELATED March 31, 2026 The State of Federal Data Products in 2025 March 24, 2026 Partnership for Public Service’s public comments on OPM’s “Managing Senior Professional Performance” March 24, 2026 Partnership for Public Service's public comments on OPM's "Performance Appraisal for Non-SES Federal Employees" Back to Reports Senior Executive Service, Retirement Trends Underscore the Importance of Succession Planning May 26, 2000 Members of the career Senior Executive Service (SES) are critical to the execution of agency missions and the effective management of federal programs. If a significant number of them were to retire, this would result in a loss of leadership continuity, institutional knowledge, and expertise. This report describes trends in retirement eligibility and in actual and projected retirements. Download (632k)