
The federal workforces in two occupational areas that have drawn attention in recent years, IT and HR, have been growing but still skew older, which “highlights the need for robust succession planning to ensure a smooth transition as these employees near retirement,” the Partnership for Public Service has said.
Those two occupations “are critical to ensuring our government has the talent and tools it needs to effectively serve the public,” it said, noting that both grew faster in 2023 than the overall 4 percent increase in the federal workforce in 2023—5 percent for the IT workforce and 10 percent for the HR workforce. The growth was due in part to support hiring under legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, it said.
Further, “Agencies are successfully retaining their IT and HR talent, which will help our government provide its employees with the resources, personnel and support they need to innovate and develop better public services,” it said. The 2023 attrition rates of 4.5 percent in IT and 5.4 percent in HR both were below the government-wide average of 5.9 percent.
Since 2019, it added, the IT workforce—defined as the 2210 occupational series—has grown from 84,400 to 93,500, while the HR workforce—defined as the 0201 and 0203 occupational series—has grown from 33,200 to 46,500.
In 2023 just 4 percent of IT employees and 6 percent of HR employees were under age 30, below the government-wide average of 7.5 percent, while 44 percent of IT employees and 52 percent of HR employees are in the mid-career range of age 30-49. The share of the HR workforce age 50 and up, 43 percent, matches the government-wide average while 52 percent of IT workers are in that range.
“This trend is good for institutional knowledge and continuity, but an ominous sign for the future. Agencies must do a better job recruiting and retaining younger workers in these fields to prepare for future challenges,” it said.
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