According to the latest stats from the Office of Personnel
Management, among the government’s cadre of top career
executives the average age rose from 51.9 years in 1996
to 54.1 in 2003. But that’s not just the only demographic
marking important changes in the Senior Executive Service.
Almost twice as many of the government’s elite staff
could have retired in 2003.
In 1996 only 24.3 percent had enough service time and age
to retire under normal eligibility rules to retire and by
2003 the percentage had jumped to 41.8 percent.
During the period 1996-2003, the percentage of minorities
in grades GS-13-15 rose nearly 45 percent, an increase
from 51,314 in 1996 to 74,200 in 2003, according to the OPM.
This contrasts markedly to three other OPM groupings that
illustrate the tectonic movements among these primary
workforce grade levels.
During the period minorities in the lowest grades 1-4
dropped by 30 percent. In grades 5-8, the drop was 5.3
percent. Grades 9-12 saw an increase, but only to 10.8
percent.
Overall, the number of employees in grades GS-1-15 rose by
3 percent, from 421,781 to 435,182 during the same period.
