Image: Kristi Blokhin/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe FDA says that it is making progress toward carrying out a 2016 law, the 21st Century Cures Act, that among other things gave the agency authority to simplify and expedite hiring for certain occupations and to establish a new pay system to better enable it to compete for employees in high-demand fields.
In a status report to Congress, the agency noted that due to scientific advancements, the FDA has growing needs for scarce employees in highly specialized fields such as biostatistics, genetics, biomedical engineering, and health informatics. “Not only are small numbers of certain specialists an issue, but FDA has a difficult time competing with private-sector salaries and benefit packages. Market research shows that many of FDA’s mission-critical occupations, such as toxicologists, pharmacists, and veterinarians, are the occupations with the largest gaps in government pay compared to the private sector,” it said.
The FDA said it is assessing its workforce needs and skills gaps and is starting a pilot program of simplified hiring. Other initiatives include creating a team to identify and reach out to potential candidates in hard-to-fill jobs; broadened recruiting efforts including the use of placement agencies; improving communications between HR offices and hiring managers; more use of recruitment incentive payments and direct hire authority; and streamlining the process overall.
On pay, it said it has identified 38 occupations to be included in a new pay scale, loosely based on the GS, that will have nine pay bands. It said it is “in the process of completing policies and procedures to guide the placement of employees within these bands based on the type and relative complexity of different positions.”
“The next phase of implementation will focus on mission-critical positions that have historically been difficult to fill, and where FDA research has identified disparities between FDA salaries and market rates,” it added.
