Federal Daily - February 12, 2008

GAO: DoD Must Improve Civilian Human Capital Strategic Plan

DoD’s civilian human capital strategic plan does not meet most statutory requirements and lacks the elements needed to maintain the department’s 700,000-member work force, half of which will soon reach retirement age, said a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. In a report dated Feb. 6, GAO reviewed how well DoD had done in developing a strategic plan as mandated in the FY 2006 National Defense Authorization Act. Not so well, GAO found. For example, DoD’s plan includes a only a list of mission-critical occupations, but this list does not constitute the required assessment of skills of the existing work force, the report said. The plan does not include the required assessment of current mission-critical competencies or gaps between current and future needs, the report said. GAO recommended that DoD draw up a new plan as early as next month, that will meet the requirements. “This is becoming a longstanding issue,” the report said. Without an adequate plan, “DoD’s future work force may not possess the critical skills and competencies needed,” the report said. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/new.items/d08439r.pdf.

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Entry Level Federals Older, More Experienced

Entry-level new hires in federal professional and administrative positions are older and more experienced than those usually hired for such jobs in the private work force, said a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) report released on Feb. 8. The report looked at who federal agencies are hiring to fill entry-level positions and found that they generally are not the young, inexperienced, recent college graduates many expect. On average, they are 33 years old and have at least one to five years of prior full-time work experience, said the report, entitled Attracting the Next Generation: A Look at Federal Entry-Level New Hires. MSPB surveyed almost 2,000 GS-5, GS-7 and GS-9 new hires in professional and administrative occupations to find out why they came to work for the government. “Our research points to a number of positive conclusions about the federal government’s ability to attract the best and the brightest,” said MSPB Chairman Neil A. G. McPhie. The federal government offers what many new hires—regardless of age or generation—want in an employer, including job security, good benefits and the ability to make a difference with their work, the report said. To see more, go to: www.mspb.gov/netsearch/viewdocs.aspx?docnumber=314915&
version=315326&application=ACROBAT

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Staffing Cutbacks Hobble FPS

Overwhelmed by staffing cutbacks, the Federal Protective Service (FPS)—the agency tasked with guarding nearly 9,000 non-military federal buildings—is having problems fulfilling its mission, said a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Feb. 8. GAO looked at how well FPS was operating since its transfer in 2003 from the General Services Administration to the Department of Homeland Security. GAO found significant resources problems, with many FPS officials telling auditors that these difficulties may expose federal facilities to a greater risk of crime or terrorist attack. The FPS work force has decreased by nearly 20 percent from almost 1,400 in Fiscal Year 2004 to about 1,100 at the end of Fiscal Year 2007, the report said. Last year, FPS had about 756 inspectors and police officers, and about 15,000 contract guards who are used primarily to monitor facilities. FPS is implementing a policy to change the composition of its work force whereby it will essentially eliminate the police officer position and mainly use inspectors, the report said. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., expressed alarm over the report’s findings. “It is beyond the pale that by weakening and undermining the Federal Protective Service, the Bush administration has put federal facilities at heightened risk,” Clinton said. “We should be making sure the FPS has the resources needed to do its job effectively.” To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/new.items/d08476t.pdf or  http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=292651&&.

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