Nuclear Power: Actions Needed to Improve NRC’s Assessment of Its Workforce Needs

What GAO Found

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has faced longstanding challenges in hiring and retaining adequate staff. NRC officials and most of the stakeholders GAO interviewed stated that increased attrition and industry competition have affected NRC’s workforce more in recent years. GAO found that from July 2024 through June 2026, NRC lost, on net, about 500 staff in various positions, most of which were due to voluntary retirements. This loss of staff has increased concerns about the stability of NRC’s workforce.

Total Number of NRC Employees from July 2024 Through June 2026

In July 2024, the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act), was enacted, granting NRC three enhanced authorities to support its workforce: (1) direct hire, (2) compensation flexibility, and (3) bonuses for hiring and performance. Between July 2024 and July 2026, NRC used the authority to award a total of $335,000 in performance bonuses to 18 staff but had not used the other two authorities.

NRC officials cited various reasons for not using all of the authorities, including a recently completed agency reorganization and the need to conduct a comprehensive workforce evaluation and inventory to identify current workforce, project critical staffing needs, and forecast agency performance using its new strategic workforce planning tool. According to officials, the results can clarify the agency’s current and future workforce needs to effectively carry out licensing and oversight activities. However, NRC’s time frame for finalizing the tool has been delayed multiple times and is now planned for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. Until it is finalized, NRC may not be able to effectively conduct strategic workforce management and planning to best use the ADVANCE Act authorities to enhance its workforce going forward.

NRC officials and most of the stakeholders GAO interviewed agreed that the ADVANCE Act authorities offer NRC additional flexibilities to better meet agency needs in the future. However, they were unsure if these authorities are enough to fully address NRC’s significant workforce challenges and gaps. As of July 2026, NRC had developed a plan to use the authorities but had not established metrics to measure or assess the effectiveness of the ADVANCE Act authorities in supporting hiring and retention. Doing so could provide NRC with data to evaluate whether its workforce authorities adequately address its identified workforce needs.

Why GAO Did This Study

NRC is responsible for regulating civilian use of nuclear materials in the U.S., carrying out licensing activities, and conducting inspections and oversight.

Policymakers’ interest in strengthening U.S. nuclear energy capacity has increased in recent years. In addition, NRC anticipates an increase in applications for new nuclear reactor licenses.

In section 502 of the ADVANCE Act of 2024, Congress granted NRC additional authorities to enhance its recruitment and retention of specialized staff. The act also included a provision for GAO to evaluate the extent to which NRC has used the workforce authorities. This report examines the extent to which NRC has used the ADVANCE Act authorities and describes challenges NRC officials and stakeholders identified related to NRC’s workforce.

GAO reviewed the ADVANCE Act, other relevant laws, policy, and agency documents; analyzed agency workforce data; and interviewed NRC officials and representatives from a nongeneralizable sample of 10 nuclear industry and policy organizations.