Attrition in staff dedicated to some surveys has ranged from 12 to 27 percent annually over the last five years. Image: Gil C/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Bureau of the Census “struggles to recruit and retain” field representatives and suffers from high attrition in some areas, putting at risk the data collection for several of its most prominent surveys, and inspector general report has said.
While the Bureau is best known for conducting the decennial censuses, the report notes, it conducts more than 130 surveys of households and businesses each year, including prominently the American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey and the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Attrition in staff dedicated to those three surveys has ranged from 12 to 27 percent annually over the last five years, however, with staffing gaps averaging 17 percent over that time in the ACS, 20 percent in the CPS and 19 percent in the NCVS.
“If the bureau does not recruit and retain enough quality employees for FR positions, it will not have sufficient and capable staff to complete interviews and collect social and economic data the federal government, businesses, and other groups need,” it said.
However, it has not met its staffing goals for those surveys and lacks a process to track vacancies among its regions, the report said. “Without a workforce plan, the bureau lacks a comprehensive strategy to ensure it has the necessary FR staff to help accomplish its mission of providing high-quality data. Unaddressed FR staffing gaps increase the risks of lower response rates on surveys and higher attrition of other field staff, who bear the burden of increased workloads,” it said.
It said Census Bureau management agreed with recommendations directed toward conducting a comprehensive workforce analysis and carrying out an action plan to meet its needs.
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