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By: FEDweek StaffFollowing is the section of a White House budget document focusing on the Biden’s planned priority actions for the federal workforce.
Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce
As the Nation’s largest employer, more than four million Americans, civilian and military, serve the Federal Government, both at home and overseas, carrying out programs and services that benefit families across the Nation and around the world. Federal employees are dedicated and talented professional public servants, often working demanding jobs. To continue to deliver for the American people in the 21st Century, the Federal Government must win the competition for highly-skilled talent. The Budget makes investments that would advance the first PMA priority—strengthening and empowering the Federal workforce—by: expanding Federal strategic agency hiring capacity, prioritizing robust early-career pipelines; implementing strategic diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility plans; and reimagining Federal Executive Boards to foster coordination and collaboration amongst senior executives outside of Washington, D.C., to better communicate and execute the Administration’s management and workforce priorities across regions and communities.
Helping Agencies Attract, Retain, and Hire Top Talent.
Federal agencies are focused on attracting more people to Federal service over the long term, while also addressing immediate agency hiring needs to rebuild capacity. The Federal Government continues to implement strategic hiring practices based on skills rather than educational qualifications alone. The Budget supports the expansion of the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Hiring Experience Office to continue making progress on streamlining hiring, including through pooled hiring actions, and improving the applicant hiring experience. The Budget also supports a renewed focus on early career pipelines as the Administration promotes the expansion of, and equitable access to Federal paid internships. The Budget also provides resources to support new agency requirements for personnel vetting improvements, and its Trusted Workforce 2.0 Implementation Strategy, which is designed to ensure all Americans can trust the Federal workforce to protect people, property, information, and mission. The Budget provides an average pay increase of 5.2 percent for civilian and military personnel—and answers the President’s call for agencies to lead by example in supporting Federal worker organizing and collective bargaining. In addition, the Budget also maintains the Administration’s unwavering support for the career civil service through its advancement of a legislative proposal to block Schedule F, which would threaten the proper functioning of the Federal Government by unduly subjecting career employees to politization and favoritism.
Building the Personnel System and Support Required to Sustain the Federal Government as a Model Employer.
As the Government faces increasingly complex challenges, the need for Federal leaders, managers, and front-line staff with the right skills in the right jobs has never been greater. To meet this need, the Budget provides $464 million, $78 million over the 2023 enacted level, for OPM’s Salaries and Expenses account to enhance the Agency’s ability to lead Federal human capital management and, in alignment with the Agency’s Strategic Plan, to serve as a centralized leader in Federal human resources. This funding would support staffing to improve customer service provided by OPM to Federal agencies, allowing further collaboration in support of the Federal Government’s strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition functions.
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2025 TSP Rollercoaster and the G Fund Merry-go-Round
5 Steps to Protect Your Federal Job During the Shutdown
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See also,
OPM Guidance Addresses Pay Issues arising During, After Shutdown
