In July 2002, GAO presented a rightsizing framework outlining a systematic approach for assessing overseas workforce size that considers security, mission, and cost. GAO recommended that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) use the framework as part of the administration's rightsizing initiative, and OMB is now using it to review posts in Europe and Eurasia. After initially applying the fram

If the federal government is to effectively manage the tasks and programs assigned to it through legislation, it must have a sufficient and qualified workforce. One important element that agencies must consider in their workforce planning is the number and kinds of employees who will retire during the next five years. GAO projects that the number of employees retiring will be roughly equivalent t

GAO noted that: (1) DOD's decision to reduce personnel as part of the QDR was driven largely by the objective of identifying dollar savings that could be used to increase modernization funding; (2) DOD officials concluded that a 10-percent force structure cut would result in unacceptable risk in implementing the national military strategy and determined that the review process had not identified

GAO noted that: (1) the Army developed a corrective action plan to resolve its material weakness in determining institutional personnel requirements but may have difficulty achieving the plan's completion date; (2) two critical subplans have been developed, one that implements a new costing system and another that develops a new computer-based methodology--the Army Workload Performance System (AW

GAO noted that: (1) total staffing was a key criterion that IRS used to decide which district offices should retain a management structure and be designated as continuing districts; (2) generally, smaller districts merged into larger ones, as was the case in Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh was merged into Philadelphia; (3) Pennsylvania is expected to lose 132 positions as a result of field office

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal agencies' use of employee buyout incentives, focusing on the number of federal employees who have received both an employment inventive and a buyout incentive or a commitment for a deferred buyout incentive. GAO noted that: (1) from January 1992 through September 1995, 52 federal employees in the eight agencies reviewed received both an em

GAO found that: (1) NASA has reduced its fiscal year (FY) 2000 full-time equivalent (FTE) goal by more than 3,000 personnel; (2) NASA has provided eligible employees with voluntary separation incentive payments in exchange for their voluntary retirement or resignation; (3) two-thirds of the employees that left NASA in 1994 and 1995 took buyouts; (4) NASA will not be able to reduce its personnel l

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Geologic Division's October 1995 reduction in force (RIF), focusing on: (1) how USGS ensured that veterans received preferences during the retention ranking process; and (2) issues relating to the posting and updating of position descriptions. GAO noted that: (1) 415 USGS Geologic Division employe

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its downsizing efforts, focusing on: (1) its strategic planning process for restructuring its workforce; (2) the development and implementation of its new reductions in force (RIF) rules; and (3) the difference between its RIF rules and appeal rights versus those for executive branch agencies. GAO noted that: (1) it used a thorough and rational p

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on whether legislative branch entities complied with the 1994 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act to reduce their staff positions and administrative expenses for fiscal year 1995. GAO found that the entities certified their compliance with the legislative requirements in their 1995 reports.