GAO has said that the government has reaped $74.7 billion in financial benefits through carrying out its recommendations for some 1,300 program and operational improvements.
GAO made those comments at a recent budgetary hearing at which it pointed out that it is consistently ranked as one of the best places in government to work, including being ranked at the top in its size category each year since 2011 in support for diversity.
However, like many other agencies, GAO cautioned about the potential for turnover in its aging workforce, with 42 percent of executives and 25 percent of supervisory analysts eligible to retire by the end of the current fiscal year.
It said that for fiscal year 2017 it plans “a robust, targeted recruitment program” to include bolstering entry-level and intern positions to provide a pipeline to help address succession planning and fill critical skill gaps. GAO also plans to continue addressing succession planning needs through training and development, it said.
GAO said it currently is somewhat understaffed with about 3,100 employees, 150 below its optimal level. It also said it needs to modernize its IT infrastructure in areas such as security, telecommunications, information management systems, and software and hardware.
