Federal agencies have hit a goal set in a 2010 executive order of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities, hiring 109,575 into part-time or full-time career positions over fiscal 2011-2015, OPM has said.
Federal employees with disabilities represent 14.4 percent of the workforce, nearly 265,000, more both in real terms and by percentage than at any time in the 35 years since the government started keeping that data, according to a report. That’s based on OPM’s count of full-time, non-seasonal, non-temporary employees, which as of fiscal 2015 stood at 1,838,352 in the executive branch.
New hires with disabilities also increased from 20,618 in FY 2014 to 26,466 in FY 2015—19 percent of the total–it said.
The hiring of those with “targeted” disabilities—certain severe physical or intellectual conditions–also is at a high for the 35-year period, it said, accounting for about 2 percent of new hires. However, only slightly more than 1 percent of those on-board meet that definition.
Agencies with the highest rates of employees with disabilities in their workforces include the EEOC, 25.3 percent; VA, 19.5 percent; various Defense components, in the 17-18 percent range; and Labor, 15.2 percent. At the low end were Broadcasting Board of Governors, OMB and CFTC, in the 3-4 percent range.
