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Roadmap for Renewing Our Federal Government

Workforce

THE CHALLENGE

The federal government is struggling to recruit, hire and retain diverse talent with the skills needed to meet the complex challenges facing our nation today and in the future. The hiring process is long and complicated, the current workforce is aging and the competition for top talent is fierce. Federal employee engagement lags that of the private sector, agencies do not maximize use of existing hiring authorities and the federal compensation system is not aligned to the broader labor market. Yet as the COVID-19 pandemic placed high demands on the federal workforce, many agencies across government capitalized on a time of national urgency to rethink how they recruit, hire and manage their people. We need that same commitment to talent modernization across government.  

It takes government an average of 98 days to bring new talent on board—more than double the time in the private sector.

As of March 2021, 6.8% of full-time federal employees are under 30. Roughly one-third of employees onboard at the beginning of fiscal 2019 will be eligible to retire by the end of fiscal 2023.

The 2020 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® employee engagement score was 69.0 out of 100, lagging behind the private sector by more than 8 points.  

About 83% major federal departments and agencies struggle with staffing shortages and 63% report gaps in the knowledge and skills of their employees, according to a 2018 OPM report.

According to the Survey on the Future of Government Service, just 32% of respondents say their agency has a strategic recruitment plan that’s aligned to its workforce needs.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONGRESS

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Overhaul the antiquated pay and job classification system. 

The government’s 1949 pay and classification system was designed for clerical workers, not today’s highly professional, specialized civil service. To meet today’s hiring and retention needs, Congress should create a modern, occupation-based, market-sensitive pay system. While the government, in most cases, will not be able to match private sector salaries, it will be better positioned to fill critical skill gaps—in cyber and STEM positions, for example—under a system that allows agencies more flexibility in setting pay.

Build stronger entry-level talent pipelines by identifying and widely using the most successful hiring authorities, easing the ability of agencies to convert interns into full-time positions, and ensuring interns are paid.

The talent is out there, and government’s mission remains more compelling than ever, but agencies are losing out on bringing in a new, diverse and qualified generation into public service because the federal hiring system isn’t nimble enough to compete with the private sector.

Infuse government with ideas, knowledge and processes from other sectors through creative means, like talent exchanges.  

Talent exchanges can strengthen agency workforces, support mission-critical work and lead to better collaboration among agencies and with the private sector.  More could be done to remove barriers to their effectiveness – for example, Congress could amend the Intergovernmental Personnel Act to allow for-profit entities to participate in IPA-enabled talent exchanges involving select agencies and mission-critical occupations on a permanent or pilot basis.

Assess each agency’s diversity, equity and inclusion performance and hold congressional hearings on DEI progress, with the practices of “best in class” agencies serving as a model. 

Congressional oversight will foster accountability, transparency and knowledge-sharing with the goal of improving diversity, equity and inclusion across government. Taking steps to ensure workforce diversity by focusing on the recruiting, hiring, career mobility, training and development of groups with less-than-expected participation rates in federal occupations will also help government better serve people with a wide variety of needs and backgrounds.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Modernize the federal personnel system and hold leaders accountable for attracting and retaining great talent. 

Through strategic priorities, like those typically outlined in the President’s Management Agenda, the administration can seize the opportunity to introduce workforce reforms, match or exceed employee engagement in the private sector, and establish government as an employer of choice in the post-pandemic era that offers best-in-class flexibilities.

Make it easier for students and entry-level talent to find—and be found—for federal jobs by creating a federal internship and fellowship database, improving the application process, and ensuring that hiring platforms are easily accessible and mobile-friendly.  

Government will never attract top talent and meet its workforce needs if it doesn’t simplify the federal hiring process, employ private sector best practices and make a concerted appeal to bring young people into government.

Share successful DEI implementation strategies across government, including tapping diverse talent sources and aligning recruitment practices with the private sector when possible.  

A commitment to improving workforce diversity, equity and inclusion must be in the DNA of every department and agency in the federal government. This goal will be more attainable if agencies share information about best practices, challenges and strategies.

Use and expand short-term opportunities in government service by making greater use of hiring flexibilities.  

Our current federal personnel system is geared to the model of the lifetime federal employee, and while some federal employees do stay on the job for a career, the government should have flexibility to bring in talented individuals who are willing to serve for shorter durations. This is especially important since younger workers increasingly want more mobility in their careers.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES
Strengthen the federal human resources community and engage subject-matter experts in the hiring process. 

Agencies need well-trained and well-resourced HR offices, aided by effective technologies and processes, to effectively recruit, develop and retain talent. Chief human capital officers should have a voice in strategic and budget decisions so that workforce needs and capabilities are considered. But hiring shouldn’t be left to HR alone. Involving subject matter experts in the resume review and candidate assessment processes will lead to a more targeted list of qualified candidates for positions.

Focus on employee retention by adopting strategies like robust onboarding programs, mentorship programs, professional development opportunities and cross-agency or government collaboration initiatives. 

The government has a retention problem. Of the full-time employees under 30 who voluntarily quit federal service in 2019, more than 73% did so with less than two years of tenure. It’s not enough to improve hiring processes without also focusing on retaining employees. Agencies should have clear performance metrics related to employee development and do more to capture data on why people leave government so that steps can be taken to address retention issues.

Foster equity in promotion opportunities. 

Data shows that people of color and women are well-represented in entry-level federal positions across government, but many lack a career path beyond the GS-13 level, which is designated as the first mid-career grade. Agencies can improve diversity among mid- and senior-level federal employees by being more intentional in developing career paths and providing growth opportunities for those who seek them, particularly when individuals come from groups that are underrepresented in government’s leadership ranks.

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RESOURCES
Thumbnail for Biden administration’s success depends on how they handle the federal government’s leadership crisis

In his first days in office, President Biden has taken significant steps to demonstrate how he will lead the government’s 2.1 million civil servants. We commend the new administration for taking early action to rebuild the federal workforce and offer recommendations for the team to focus on next.

Thumbnail for A Pivotal Moment for the Senior Executive Service: Measures, aspirational practices and stories of success

Inspired by President Obama’s December 2015 Executive Order – Strengthening the Senior Executive Service, the Partnership for Public Service and McKinsey & Company set out to identify practices to bolster the SES and provide baseline metrics on these practices. 

Thumbnail for Building the Leadership Bench: Developing a Talent Pipeline for the SES

In the next five years, nearly two-thirds of the Senior Executive Service (SES)—the elite cadre of civil servants who hold the top managerial and policy positions in government—will be retirement eligible. Given the complex challenges confronting our government, the need for strong leaders to fill these executive positions is critical. Are federal agencies prepared for the potential turnover? Are agency leaders identifying and developing aspiring executives?

Thumbnail for Mission-Driven Mobility: Strengthening Our Government Through a Mobile Leadership Corps

The Partnership for Public Service, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company examined all forms of mobility—intraagency to multisector—and identified the extent to which they are currently used and the barriers to their use. This report also sets forth a series of solutions for increasing SES mobility and building a leadership corps better equipped to drive results in government.

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The Partnership for Public Service, the Volcker Alliance and Senior Executives Association have worked to identify solutions to strengthen the federal civil service, including at the leadership levels. By joining together, our organizations hope to build momentum to improve the government’s senior level talent management system and propel the civil service modernization conversation forward. We will pursue this agenda in Congress and with the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget and federal agencies.

Thumbnail for A Nonpartisan Model for Developing Public-Service Leaders

As Covid-19 spreads around the globe and throughout the United States, effective government leadership matters more than ever. Enter Dr. Anthony Fauci. Having led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through six presidential administrations, Fauci embodies what it means to serve the American public. Whether at a congressional hearing, at a White House press conference, or on TV shows like Face the Nation, both the people and the president look to the 79-year-old public servant for direction in this uncertain time, on everything from why social distancing matters to what actions we can take to lessen the burden on hospitals and the healthcare system.

Thumbnail for Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far

The Post and Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, are tracking roughly 700 key executive branch nominations through the confirmation process. These positions include Cabinet secretaries, deputy and assistant secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsel, heads of agencies, ambassadors and other critical leadership positions. These are a portion of the roughly 1,200 positions that require Senate confirmation.

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Serving America through a presidential appointment is a great honor and responsibility.

Thumbnail for Center for Presidential Transition

The Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition® serves as the premier nonpartisan source of information and resources to help presidential candidates and their teams lay the groundwork for a new administration or for a president’s second term.

Thumbnail for Public Service Leadership Model

To help government leaders take advantage of the opportunity they have been given to improve our country, we developed the Public Service Leadership Model. This model is the new standard for effective federal leadership. It identifies the core values leaders must prioritize, and the critical competencies they must master to achieve their agencies’ missions and desired impact. By using the model, leaders can evaluate their performance, assess their leadership progress and chart a course for self-improvement.