Fedweek

New data from the Partnership for Public Service underscore concerns raised previously by that group and others about the aging of the federal workforce and the dearth of younger employees poised to step up as their elders retire.

For example, while the government is struggling to update its technology, “at the end of the second quarter in fiscal 2018, there were 20 times as many IT employees over the age of 50 as there were under 30,” said an online posting.

Other data points include:

* While 23.9 percent of the overall U.S. workforce is under age 30, that is true of only 6.2 percent of federal workers.

* While 45.1 percent of federal workers are age 50 or older, that is the case with only 33.5 percent of the overall workforce.

* There are nearly four times as many employees age 65 and older as under age 25.

* As of the beginning of fiscal 2018, 18.2 percent of federal employees were eligible to retire by the end of that year.