Federal White-Collar Special Rate Program
GGD-84-54: Published: Mar 30, 1984. Publicly Released: Apr 12, 1984.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO evaluated the special rate program for federal white-collar positions.
Presently, about 2.6 percent of the federal white-collar work force under the General Schedule pay system are authorized rates of pay higher than the statutory pay rates. Although the number of positions with special rates increased from about 8,000 in fiscal year (FY) 1977 to 34,000 in FY 1984, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has limited special rate pay adjustments during the last 3 years. OPM believes that its decisions have not harmed the government's ability to attract and retain employees in hard-to-fill positions. However, several agencies believe that OPM decisions to limit or deny adjustments have affected their agencies' performances. Engineering positions constitute more than half of the special rate positions and show the greatest pay disparity between the private and pubic sectors, particularly in entry-level positions. GAO found that there is general agreement among OPM, the Department of Defense, and other agencies that managers need increased pay flexibility to deal with staffing problems. Several options have been suggested which include: (1) expanding the special rate authority and step range, (2) establishing special occupational schedules, (3) authorizing recruitment and retention bonuses, and (4) expanding the flexibility of the classification levels and pay ranges.
Feb 24, 2021
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Bureau of Prisons:
Opportunities Exist to Better Analyze Staffing Data and Improve Employee Wellness ProgramsGAO-21-123: Published: Feb 24, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 24, 2021.
Jan 12, 2021
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DHS Employee Morale:
Some Improvements Made, but Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Employee EngagementGAO-21-204: Published: Jan 12, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2021.
Sep 16, 2020
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Senior Executive Service:
Opportunities for Selected Agencies to Improve Their Career Reassignment ProcessesGAO-20-559: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Feb 25, 2020
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State Department:
Additional Steps Are Needed to Identify Potential Barriers to DiversityGAO-20-237: Published: Jan 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Feb 25, 2020.
Dec 30, 2019
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Office of Congressional Workplace Rights:
Using Key Management Practices Would Help to Fully Implement Statutory RequirementsGAO-20-222: Published: Dec 30, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 30, 2019.
Oct 10, 2019
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Department of Veterans Affairs:
Improved Succession Planning Would Help Address Long-Standing Workforce ProblemsGAO-20-15: Published: Oct 10, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 10, 2019.
Oct 2, 2019
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Defense Workforce:
Steps Needed to Identify Acquisition Training Needs for Non-Acquisition Personnel [Reissued with revisions on Oct. 2, 2019.]GAO-19-556: Published: Sep 5, 2019. Publicly Released: Sep 5, 2019.
Sep 25, 2019
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Federal Workforce:
Talent Management Strategies to Help Agencies Better Compete in a Tight Labor MarketGAO-19-723T: Published: Sep 25, 2019. Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2019.
Sep 11, 2019
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USAID Reform:
Efforts Address Most Key Practices but Could Improve in Performance Assessment and Strategic Workforce PlanningGAO-19-609: Published: Sep 11, 2019. Publicly Released: Sep 11, 2019.
Aug 15, 2019
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Defense Acquisition Workforce:
DOD Increased Use of Human Capital Flexibilities but Could Improve MonitoringGAO-19-509: Published: Aug 15, 2019. Publicly Released: Aug 15, 2019.
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