In a report to Congress on the use of recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives in federal agencies for calendar year 2005, OPM has said it expects to increase the use of recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives moving forward as agencies increase competition for talent during the upcoming retirement wave.
In 2005, 34 agencies paid 5,998 recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives to employees that were worth more than $51 million, the report said.
It said that comprised 2,037 recruitment incentives totaling over $17.8 million, 1,079 relocation incentives totaling over $11.5 million, and 2,882 retention incentives totaling over $21.6 million.
While most agencies did not report barriers to using the incentives, some were concerned about funding, and other agencies said they needed the flexibility to pay recruitment incentives to current employees and retention incentives to employees likely to leave for other federal jobs.
