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By: FEDweek StaffFederal agencies that were given special hiring authorities for pandemic response largely have made little to no use of them but there are lessons to be learned from where they have been used, GAO has said.
GAO examined five agencies that received new or expanded direct hire authority—which shortcuts normal competitive hiring processes—and six that received authority under “Schedule A” for temporary hiring of up to a year with the possibility of a one-year extension.
Of the 10 agencies total—there was some overlap—the VA made the most use through calendar year 2020, hiring some 5,100 employees total under the two authorities. HHS was second at about 1,400.
In contrast, the CFTC and SEC “stated that they did not make any hires because they met their pandemic response needs using current officials or authorities,” GAO said, although they said that having the authorities was valuable in case they would need to “respond quickly if their hiring needs changed.” Other agencies that didn’t use the authorities also said they were able to meet their hiring needs through their normal process or still were assessing whether they needed to use them.
Agencies that did use those authorities cited lessons learned including the importance of collaboration among internal stakeholders and creating an inventory of hiring needs and available authorities. OPM told GAO that it intends to conduct reviews of how the authorities were used for possible broader application, although it hasn’t done so yet.
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