Supervisor to Nonsupervisor Ratios in the Federal Government and the Private Sector

In response to a request to compare supervisor to nonsupervisor ratios between the Federal Government and private industry, GAO obtained available statistical data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The usefulness of aggregate data such as supervisor to nonsupervisor ratios is very limited. GAO had strong reservations about the data collected and the comparability of functions between the Federal Government and the private sector. There are many legitimate factors which determine what an appropriate level of supervision should be for an organization or function. Comparing aggregate ratios such as supervisor to nonsupervisor ratios serves only to identify what needs to be looked at in more detail.