The Obama administration’s budget proposal continues several initiatives on federal agency management while citing progress made so far in areas including priority goals and improving employee engagement in the workplace.
A section titled “addressing federal workforce challenges” lists often-cited skills gaps, especially in occupations including IT, economics, acquisition, HR, auditing and the science, technology, engineering and math fields. It says that together with agencies, OPM “is developing and executing strategies to close skills gaps in these occupations” through steps such as identifying where the shortages cause the highest risk, creating a specific STEM Pathways Program hiring track, use of special hiring and compensation authorities, and expanding training.
Regarding hiring in general, it says the focus is turning to “ensuring the government can attract applicants and hire highly qualified and diverse talent, achieved through engaged and empowered hiring managers, and supported by highly skilled HR staff.” It said OPM this year will launch a Hiring Excellence Campaign toward that end.
On personnel management, it cited the generally positive trends in the 2015 engagement index on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and pointed to greater use of part-time details, alignment of agency strategic personnel planning with missions, additional help to agencies in dealing with poor performers, and several initiatives to improve career development and accountability for senior executives.
The budget also mentions on-going: concerns about filling vacancies created due to retirements; initiatives to increase diversity and hiring of veterans and of those with disabilities; and efforts to improve labor-management relations through collaboration and greater involvement of unions in advance of certain workplace decisions.