Agencies are increasingly using direct hire authority to meet needs for scientist, engineer, medical, IT, and other critical personnel, the Merit Systems Protection Board has said.
It said that from 2003 to 2007, direct hires into the medical and public health professions went from 634 to 1,662, from 16 to 340 in IT professions, from 32 to 114 in social insurance and social science professions, from 89 to 181 in engineering and architecture, and from 36 to 267 in business and industry professions.
According to MSPB, the changing mission requirements are driving the occupations for which DHA is being used. While DHA was used for just six percent of all new hires in 2007, there has been an overall 310 percent increase in its use since 2003.
Owing to the increased demands for defense and health care personnel, the most frequent DHA users have been the Departments of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Health and Human Services. These agencies have increased use of DHA by 165 percent, 473 percent, 1,871 percent, and 5,057 percent, respectively, MSPB said.
It predicted that the use of the authority, which allows agencies to bypass certain competitive service rules, would continue to rise.
