Federal Workforce:
A Framework for Studying Its Quality Over Time
PEMD-88-27: Published: Aug 4, 1988. Publicly Released: Aug 9, 1988.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO: (1) examined the feasibility of producing generalizable and reliable information on the quality of the federal work force over time; and (2) developed a framework for obtaining such information.
GAO: (1) examined the executive branch civilian work force in professional and administrative positions; and (2) developed a two-part definition of quality which included employee capabilities and the degree to which those capabilities matched the requirements of a particular job. GAO found that: (1) the information available in agency personnel records was not comprehensive, accessible, or current enough for the purposes of a quality assessment effort; and (2) changing agency systems to provide a better database for an assessment effort would be impractical. GAO suggested an alternative assessment design which would: (1) gather data by surveying samples of employees in selected occupations; (2) answer many of the major questions concerning work-force quality; and (3) cost less than $1 million.
Matter for Congressional Consideration
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: OPM and MSPB are moving ahead with workforce quality measurement projects as a result of GAO work, so no legislative action is needed other than oversight.
Matter: To help provide generalizable answers to questions about the quality of the federal work force and changes in it over time, Congress may wish to authorize a continuing program to assess work-force quality based on the framework outlined in this report.
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
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Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
Jan 12, 2021
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.
Jul 30, 2019
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Human Capital:
Improving Federal Recruiting and Hiring EffortsGAO-19-696T: Published: Jul 30, 2019. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2019.
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