Fedweek

The new OPM figures show an executive branch employee count–again, excluding USPS–of 2,059,000 as of September 2015, rounded to the nearest 1,000, up from 2,406,000 in 2014 but down from 2,067,000 in 2013 and from the peak in the last five years of 2,130,000 of 2011. Those numbers include both permanent and temporary, full-time and part-time, seasonal or not. Another commonly cited federal employment number, covering only permanent, full-time, non-seasonal employees–considered the core federal workforce–stood at 1,838,000, up from 1,826,000 in one year but down from the 2011 peak of 1,857,000. In addition to those retiring, the 2015 numbers showed that 72,000 quit, 10,000 were terminated/removed for conduct or performance, 47,000 were terminated because temporary appointments expired, 3,000 died and 409 were RIF’d. The total of 197,000 separations was on the low end for the last five years–the peak was 2011 with 222,000–but the ratios of types of separations remained about the same over that period.