Human Capital
Workforce Diversity Governmentwide and at the Department of Homeland Security Gao ID: GAO-08-815T May 21, 2008The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created from a disparate group of agencies with multiple missions, values, and cultures into a cabinet department whose goals are to, among other things, protect U.S. borders and infrastructure, improve intelligence and information sharing, and prevent and respond to potential terrorist attacks. GAO designated the implementation and transformation of DHS as a high-risk area in 2003, and it remains so. While DHS has made progress, it continues to face challenges in transforming into an effective, integrated organization. In response to a request to provide information on diversity in DHS and steps DHS is taking to create and manage a diverse workforce, GAO is providing demographic data related to the federal government as a whole and DHS's workforce. GAO obtained these data from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Central Personnel Data File (CPDF). GAO used its past work on leading diversity management practices (GAO-05-90) and reviewed data from DHS on its diversity management practices.
Data in OPM's CPDF show that as of September 2007, the overall percentages of women and minorities have increased in the career SES governmentwide, the highest nonpolitically appointed leaders in the federal workforce, and the SES developmental pool for potential successors since September 2003. As part of GAO's recent analysis of the diversity of the SES and the SES developmental pool, GAO reviewed career, or permanent, SES appointments at DHS and DHS's SES developmental pool. During this 4-year period, the total number of career SES and those in the SES developmental pool for potential successors increased at DHS. The percentage of women in the SES increased, while the percentage of minorities decreased. For the SES developmental pool, the percentage of women and minorities increased. While GAO did not analyze the factors that contributed to changes in DHS's workforce for this period, OPM and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in their oversight roles require federal agencies, including DHS, to analyze their workforces. As part of a strategic human capital planning approach, agencies need to develop long-term strategies for acquiring, developing, motivating, and retaining a diverse workforce. An agency's human capital planning should address the demographic trends that the agency faces with its workforce, especially retirements, which provide opportunities for agencies to affect the diversity of their workforces. DHS reported taking steps to affect the diversity of its workforce. These steps are consistent with several leading diversity management practices: (1) a diversity strategy as part of its strategic plan, (2) recruitment, (3) employee involvement, and (4) succession planning. For example, DHS cited its use of intern programs for recruiting and its implementation of two leadership development programs for managing succession. GAO has not conducted a review of DHS's diversity management efforts; therefore, it cannot comment on the effectiveness of DHS's implementation of these practices.
GAO-08-815T, Human Capital: Workforce Diversity Governmentwide and at the Department of Homeland Security
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Testimony:
Before the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
For Release on Delivery Expected at 10:00 a.m. EDT:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008:
Human Capital:
Workforce Diversity Governmentwide and at the Department of Homeland
Security:
Statement of George H. Stalcup Director Strategic Issues:
GAO-08-815T:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-08-815T, a testimony before the Committee on Homeland
Security, House of Representatives.
Why GAO Did This Study:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created from a disparate
group of agencies with multiple missions, values, and cultures into a
cabinet department whose goals are to, among other things, protect U.S.
borders and infrastructure, improve intelligence and information
sharing, and prevent and respond to potential terrorist attacks. GAO
designated the implementation and transformation of DHS as a high-risk
area in 2003, and it remains so. While DHS has made progress, it
continues to face challenges in transforming into an effective,
integrated organization.
In response to a request to provide information on diversity in DHS and
steps DHS is taking to create and manage a diverse workforce, GAO is
providing demographic data related to the federal government as a whole
and DHS‘s workforce. GAO obtained these data from the Office of
Personnel Management‘s (OPM) Central Personnel Data File (CPDF). GAO
used its past work on leading diversity management practices (GAO-05-
90) and reviewed data from DHS on its diversity management practices.
What GAO Found:
Data in OPM‘s CPDF show that as of September 2007, the overall
percentages of women and minorities have increased in the career SES
governmentwide, the highest nonpolitically appointed leaders in the
federal workforce, and the SES developmental pool for potential
successors since September 2003.
Table:
Governmentwide: SES;
September 2003: Number: 6,221;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 26.4;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 15.2;
September 2007: Number: 6,555;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 29.1;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 15.8.
Governmentwide: SES potential developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s);
2003: Number: 152,123;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 30.4;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 18.8;
September 2007: Number: 149,149;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 34.3;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 22.5.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
[End of table]
As part of GAO‘s recent analysis of the diversity of the SES and the
SES developmental pool, GAO reviewed career, or permanent, SES
appointments at DHS and DHS‘s SES developmental pool.
Table:
DHS: SES;
September 2003: Number: 208;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 21.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 15.9;
September 2007: Number: 325;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 26.2;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 13.2.
DHS: SES potential developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s);
September 2003: Number: 6,525;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 30.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 19.5;
September 2007: Number: 10,107;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 32.5;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 24.1.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
[End of table]
During this 4-year period, the total number of career SES and those in
the SES developmental pool for potential successors increased at DHS.
The percentage of women in the SES increased, while the percentage of
minorities decreased. For the SES developmental pool, the percentage of
women and minorities increased. While GAO did not analyze the factors
that contributed to changes in DHS‘s workforce for this period, OPM and
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in their oversight roles
require federal agencies, including DHS, to analyze their workforces.
As part of a strategic human capital planning approach, agencies need
to develop long-term strategies for acquiring, developing, motivating,
and retaining a diverse workforce. An agency‘s human capital planning
should address the demographic trends that the agency faces with its
workforce, especially retirements, which provide opportunities for
agencies to affect the diversity of their workforces. DHS reported
taking steps to affect the diversity of its workforce. These steps are
consistent with several leading diversity management practices: (1) a
diversity strategy as part of its strategic plan, (2) recruitment, (3)
employee involvement, and (4) succession planning. For example, DHS
cited its use of intern programs for recruiting and its implementation
of two leadership development programs for managing succession. GAO has
not conducted a review of DHS‘s diversity management efforts;
therefore, it cannot comment on the effectiveness of DHS‘s
implementation of these practices.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-815T]. For more
information, contact George Stalcup at (202) 512-6806 or
stalcupg@gao.gov
[End of section]
Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and Members of the Committee:
I am pleased to be here today to provide the Committee with information
on diversity of the federal workforce and at the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), which was created from a disparate group of 22 agencies
with multiple missions, values, and cultures into a cabinet department
whose goals are to, among other things, protect U.S. borders and
infrastructure, improve intelligence and information sharing, and
prevent and respond to potential terrorist attacks. Since its inception
in March 2003, DHS has faced enormous challenges related to protecting
the nation from terrorism while organizing its predecessor agencies--
several with existing program and management challenges--into a
coherent and integrated department.
Because these challenges could have serious consequences for the
security of our country, we designated the department's implementation
and transformation a high-risk area in 2003 and reiterated our concerns
in January 2005 and again in January 2007.[Footnote 1] One key
challenge DHS has faced is effectively and strategically managing its
sizable workforce of nearly 167,000 employees in order to respond to
current and emerging 21st century challenges.[Footnote 2] Strategic
human capital management must be the centerpiece of any serious change
management strategy. Also, given the changing demographics of our
society, diversity management is a key aspect of strategic human
capital management. Developing a workforce that reflects all segments
of society and our nation's diversity is a significant part of an
agency's transformation of its organization to meet the challenges of
the 21st century.
Today, as requested, my remarks will focus on demographic data related
to career positions in the federal government as a whole and DHS's
workforce as well as actions the department has reported taking to
create and manage a diverse workforce. For our analyses of
governmentwide career and DHS career demographic data, we extracted
data from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Central Personnel
Data File (CPDF) and analyzed these data to identify the extent of
changes in the representation of women and minorities in DHS's
workforce between September 2003 and September 2007. However, we did
not analyze the factors that contributed to changes identified in DHS's
workforce over this 4-year period. We believe the CPDF is sufficiently
reliable for the informational purpose of this testimony. We previously
reported that governmentwide data from the CPDF for the key variables
reported in this testimony--agency, gender, race or national origin,
and pay plan or grade--were 96 percent or more accurate.[Footnote 3] We
also obtained information from DHS on recruitment and other strategies
used to develop and sustain a diverse workforce. We conducted this
performance audit in May 2008 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide
a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit
objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.
In summary, when comparing DHS-wide data to governmentwide
representation data, the greatest differences were among Hispanic men
and White women--in both 2003 and 2007 the representation of Hispanic
men was more than 10 percentage points higher than the representation
governmentwide, and for White women, the representation was nearly 10
percentage points lower. When reviewing representation by pay plan/
grades, among the higher grades--general schedule (GS) GS-13 to GS-15,
Senior Executive Service (SES), and Senior Level/Senior Technical (SL/
ST)--minority employees generally represented less than 10 percent of
these career employees in 2003 and 2007. The total number of career SES
at DHS increased by more than 50 percent between 2003 and 2007--going
from 208 to 325. Overall minorities decreased from 15.9 percent of the
total SES in 2003 to 13.2 percent in 2007. For the DHS developmental
pool of potential SES successors (generally GS-15s and GS-14s), the
total number increased by more than 50 percent--going from 6,525 to
10,107. White men decreased by 4.2 percentage points, and minorities
increased by 4.6 percentage points. DHS reported taking steps to affect
the diversity of its workforce that include establishing an objective
in its strategic plan concerning the recruitment and development, among
other things, of a diverse workforce; partnering with minority-serving
institutions and professional service organizations; and implementing
an SES candidate development program. These steps are consistent with
several leading diversity management practices.
Representation of Women and Minorities Governmentwide and at DHS in
2003 and 2007:
DHS, one of the 24 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Act agencies,[Footnote
4] was formed from 22 agencies, including the following agencies or
parts of agencies: the U.S. Customs Service, which was formerly located
in the Department of the Treasury; the Federal Emergency Management
Agency; the Coast Guard; and most of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, which was formerly located in the Department of Justice.
Representation of Career Employees DHS-wide and Governmentwide:
Tables 1 and 2 show the representation of career employees at DHS and
governmentwide as of September 2003 and September 2007, respectively.
Table 1: Representation of Career Employees at DHS and Governmentwide
as of September 2003:
Percent: DHS-wide;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.8;
September 2003: African American: W: 7.1;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.7;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 14.2;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 4.8;
September 2003: White: M: 44.4;
September 2003: White: W: 17.7;
September 2003: Unspecified/other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Percent: Governmentwide;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.6;
September 2003: African American: W: 10.7;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.9;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 1.0;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 2.6;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 2.1;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 4.1;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 3.0;
September 2003: White: M: 41.3;
September 2003: White: W: 27.5;
September 2003: Unspecified/other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.1.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women. Governmentwide data include civilian
employees of all cabinet-level departments, independent agencies,
commissions, councils, and boards in the executive branch except the
intelligence agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Foreign Service
(as of 2007).
[End of table]
Table 2: Representation of Career Employees at DHS and Governmentwide
as of September 2007:
Percent: DHS-wide;
September 2007: African American: M: 7.1;
September 2007: African American: W: 7.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 14.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 4.9;
September 2007: White: M: 42.5;
September 2007: White: W: 17.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: W: 0.0.
Percent: Governmentwide;
September 2007: African American: M: 6.9;
September 2007: African American: W: 11.1;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.9;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 1.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.9;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 2.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 3.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 3.1;
September 2007: White: M: 40.4;
September 2007: White: W: 27.4;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: W: 0.1.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women. Governmentwide data include civilian
employees of all cabinet-level departments, independent agencies,
commissions, councils, and boards in the executive branch except the
intelligence agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Foreign Service
(as of 2007).
[End of table]
There were slight increases in percentage points among nearly all
minority groups DHS-wide between 2003 and 2007. The greatest change DHS-
wide was a decrease in White men. The greatest differences between the
governmentwide data and DHS-wide data were among Hispanic men--in both
2003 and 2007 the representation of Hispanic men was more than 10
percentage points higher than the representation governmentwide, and
for White women, the representation was nearly 10 percentage points
lower. For both 2003 and 2007, the representation of women at DHS, with
the exception of Hispanic women, was below the governmentwide level,
the biggest difference being among White and African American women.
See appendix I for a breakdown of the DHS-wide representation data by
DHS components.
Representation at DHS by Pay Plan/Grade:
Taking a closer look at the DHS-wide data, table 3 shows the
representation of career employees at DHS by pay plan/grade as of
September 2003. Minority employees generally represented less than 10
percent of career employees among all the pay plans and grades.
Examples of the exceptions included the representation of Hispanic men
in the blue collar pay plan, grades 5 to 8, and grades 9 to 12, where
they ranged from 15 to over 21 percent. In grades 1 to 4, African
American women represented over 17 percent, and Hispanic women
represented nearly 13 percent of employees. Among the higher grades and
pay plans--grades GS-13 to GS-15, SES, and SL/ST--the percentage of
White women ranged from over 17 to more than 22 percent, and no
minority group exceeded 9 percent of career employees.
Table 3: Representation at DHS by Pay Plan/Grade for 2003 for Career
Employees:
Pay Plan/Grade: Blue collar;
September 2003: African American: M: 11.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.8;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.1;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 15.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 0.1;
September 2003: White: M: 67.3;
September 2003: White: W: 1.6;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.2;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 1 to 4;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.7;
September 2003: African American: W: 17.2;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.7;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 4.3;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 9.4;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 12.8;
September 2003: White: M: 18.9;
September 2003: White: W: 28.7;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 5 to 8;
September 2003: African American: M: 4.8;
September 2003: African American: W: 10.3;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.4;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.6;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 2.6;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 18.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 9.3;
September 2003: White: M: 28.8;
September 2003: White: W: 21.7;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 9 to 12;
September 2003: African American: M: 4.4;
September 2003: African American: W: 5.8;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.8;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 21.4;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 5.3;
September 2003: White: M: 42.7;
September 2003: White: W: 15.4;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 13;
September 2003: African American: M: 5.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 5.8;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.4;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.3;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 8.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 3.2;
September 2003: White: M: 54.6;
September 2003: White: W: 17.7;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.2;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 14;
September 2003: African American: M: 3.9;
September 2003: African American: W: 5.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.5;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 6.2;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 2.2;
September 2003: White: M: 57.2;
September 2003: White: W: 22.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 15;
September 2003: African American: M: 3.4;
September 2003: African American: W: 3.9;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.1;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 4.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.6;
September 2003: White: M: 61.8;
September 2003: White: W: 22.2;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.2;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.1.
Pay Plan/Grade: SES[A];
September 2003: African American: M: 6.3;
September 2003: African American: W: 2.9;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 4.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 0.5;
September 2003: White: M: 66.8;
September 2003: White: W: 17.3;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: SL/ST[B];
September 2003: African American: M: 0.0;
September 2003: African American: W: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 0.0;
September 2003: White: M: 0.0;
September 2003: White: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Other/unspecified[C];
September 2003: African American: M: 11.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 7.7;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.5;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 7.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 3.0;
September 2003: White: M: 48.0;
September 2003: White: W: 17.9;
September 2003: Unspecified / other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: DHS-wide;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.8;
September 2003: African American: W: 7.1;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2003: American Indian/ Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.7;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 14.2;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 4.8;
September 2003: White: M: 44.4;
September 2003: White: W: 17.7;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified /other: W: 0.0.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women.
[A] The SES consists of permanent or career appointments, paid
according to the SES pay schedule and those in the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) who have equivalent positions. These are the
highest nonpolitically appointed leaders in the federal workforce.
[B] SL/ST includes those in the Senior Level and Senior Technical pay
plans and those in FAA who have equivalent positions. These are
primarily engineers, scientists, and other top-level professionals.
They do not have the leadership role of the SES.
[C] Other/unspecified includes those who could not be placed in one of
the above pay plans or grades.
[End of table]
By 2007, the representation of career employees at DHS by pay plan/
grade showed only slight increases and decreases. Exceptions, as shown
in table 4, were in the percentage of White men in the SL/ST pay plan,
which increased from 0 percent in 2003 to more than 65 percent in 2007,
and White women, which during this period in the same pay plan
increased from 0 percent to almost 28 percent. The representation of
minorities was still less than 10 percent in grades GS-13 and above.
Table 4: Representation at DHS by Pay Plan/Grade for 2007 for Career
Employees:
Pay Plan/Grade: Blue collar;
September 2007: African American: M: 10.6;
September 2007: African American: W: 0.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 2.6;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.1;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 14.9;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 0.2;
September 2007: White: M: 67.6;
September 2007: White: W: 2.8;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.4;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 1 to 4;
September 2007: African American: M: 6.4;
September 2007: African American: W: 15.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.4;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 2.1;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 7.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 6.4;
September 2007: White: M: 30.9;
September 2007: White: W: 28.5;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 5 to 8;
September 2007: African American: M: 3.5;
September 2007: African American: W: 8.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.8;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 2.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 21.0;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 7.8;
September 2007: White: M: 32.1;
September 2007: White: W: 20.8;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.1.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grades 9 to 12;
September 2007: African American: M: 4.2;
September 2007: African American: W: 5.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 23.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 5.5;
September 2007: White: M: 41.5;
September 2007: White: W: 14.8;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 13;
September 2007: African American: M: 5.0;
September 2007: African American: W: 5.6;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 2.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 9.9;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 3.4;
September 2007: White: M: 54.5;
September 2007: White: W: 17.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 14;
September 2007: African American: M: 4.6;
September 2007: African American: W: 7.6;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 2.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 7.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 2.6;
September 2007: White: M: 52.9;
September 2007: White: W: 20.7;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Grade 15;
September 2007: African American: M: 4.6;
September 2007: African American: W: 4.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.1;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 1.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 4.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 2.0;
September 2007: White: M: 57.0;
September 2007: White: W: 24.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: SES[A];
September 2007: African American: M: 4.0;
September 2007: African American: W: 2.2;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.3;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 5.5;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 0.6;
September 2007: White: M: 63.7;
September 2007: White: W: 23.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: SL/ST[B];
September 2007: African American: M: 0.0;
September 2007: African American: W: 0.0;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 3.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 3.5;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 0.0;
September 2007: White: M: 65.5;
September 2007: White: W: 27.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: Other/unspecified[C];
September 2007: African American: M: 11.4;
September 2007: African American: W: 10.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.7;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 8.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 4.6;
September 2007: White: M: 40.3;
September 2007: White: W: 18.7;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: W: 0.0.
Pay Plan/Grade: DHS-wide;
September 2007: African American: M: 7.1;
September 2007: African American: W: 7.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: M: 3.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 14.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 4.9;
September 2007: White: M: 42.5;
September 2007: White: W: 17.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women.
[A] The SES consists of permanent or career appointments, paid
according to the SES pay schedule and those in the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) who have equivalent positions. These are the
highest nonpolitically appointed leaders in the federal workforce.
[B] SL/ST includes those in the Senior Level and Senior Technical pay
plans and those in FAA who have equivalent positions. These are
primarily engineers, scientists, and other top-level professionals.
They do not have the leadership role of the SES.
[C] Other/unspecified includes those who could not be placed in one of
the above pay plans or grades.
[End of table]
Representation in Career SES Governmentwide and at DHS:
As we have reported, leadership in agencies across the federal
government, especially at senior executive levels, is essential to
providing accountable, committed, consistent, and sustained attention
to human capital and related organizational transformation issues.
Having a diverse SES corps, which generally represents the most
experienced segment of the federal workforce, can be an organizational
strength that can bring a wider variety of perspectives and approaches
to bear on policy development and implementation, strategic planning,
problem solving, and decision making.
The members of the career SES are the highest nonpolitically appointed
leaders in the federal workforce, and we recently looked more closely
at their representation governmentwide.[Footnote 5] Table 5 shows the
total number of career SES and the percentage of women and minority SES
in DHS and at the 23 other CFO Act agencies in 2003 and 2007. Overall
at DHS, the total number of SES increased by more than 50 percent
between 2003 and 2007 going from 208 to 325. Within that total, the
percentage of women increased from 21.2 percent to 26.2 percent. In
2003, the representation of women within individual CFO Act agencies
ranged from 15.9 to 40.7 percent, with more than two-thirds of the
agencies having at least 25 percent women--DHS had 21.2 percent. The
representation of minorities within the CFO Act agencies in 2003 ranged
from 7.2 to 42.0 percent with more than two-thirds having at least 15
percent minorities--DHS had 15.9 percent. In 2007, the representation
of women at these agencies ranged from 19.9 to 45.5 percent, with more
than half of the agencies having 30 percent or more women--DHS had 26.2
percent. For minority representation, CFO Act agency rates ranged from
6.1 to 43.8 percent, with two-thirds having at least 15 percent or more
minorities--DHS had 13.2 percent.
Table 5: Career SES Members by CFO Act Agency for 2003 and 2007:
CFO Act agency: Agriculture;
September 2003: Number of SES: 299;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 25.1;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 18.7;
September 2007: Number of SES: 318;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 28.3;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 18.9.
CFO Act agency: AID;
September 2003: Number of SES: 24;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 25.0;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 25.0;
September 2007: Number of SES: 22;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 45.5;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 36.4.
CFO Act agency: Commerce;
September 2003: Number of SES: 317;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 28.1;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 16.1;
September 2007: Number of SES: 317;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 28.4;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 14.5.
CFO Act agency: Defense;
September 2003: Number of SES: 1,066;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 20.1;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 7.2;
September 2007: Number of SES: 1,123;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 22.6;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 8.3.
CFO Act agency: Education;
September 2003: Number of SES: 61;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 36.1;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 27.9;
September 2007: Number of SES: 66;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 36.4;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 15.2.
CFO Act agency: Energy;
September 2003: Number of SES: 405;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 21.0;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 11.4;
September 2007: Number of SES: 421;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 22.8;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 14.3.
CFO Act agency: EPA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 257;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 37.0;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 16.7;
September 2007: Number of SES: 261;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 37.5;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 17.2.
CFO Act agency: GSA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 80;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 28.8;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 10.0;
September 2007: Number of SES: 80;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 28.8;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 15.0.
CFO Act agency: HHS;
September 2003: Number of SES: 329;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 40.7;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 23.4;
September 2007: Number of SES: 356;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 44.1;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 20.5.
CFO Act agency: DHS;
September 2003: Number of SES: 208;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 21.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 15.9;
September 2007: Number of SES: 325;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 26.2;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 13.2.
CFO Act agency: HUD;
September 2003: Number of SES: 81;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 32.1;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 42.0;
September 2007: Number of SES: 89;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 38.2;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 43.8.
CFO Act agency: Interior;
September 2003: Number of SES: 199;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 31.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 22.6;
September 2007: Number of SES: 221;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 31.7;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 25.8.
CFO Act agency: Justice;
September 2003: Number of SES: 550;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 20.5;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 16.7;
September 2007: Number of SES: 645;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 22.2;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 17.8.
CFO Act agency: Labor;
September 2003: Number of SES: 137;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 29.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 21.9;
September 2007: Number of SES: 133;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 33.1;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 21.1.
CFO Act agency: NASA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 398;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 22.9;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 15.6;
September 2007: Number of SES: 431;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 23.4;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 14.6.
CFO Act agency: NRC;
September 2003: Number of SES: 145;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 15.9;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 11.0;
September 2007: Number of SES: 146;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 19.9;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 13.7.
CFO Act agency: NSF;
September 2003: Number of SES: 81;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 39.5;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 13.6;
September 2007: Number of SES: 79;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 44.3;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 16.5.
CFO Act agency: OPM;
September 2003: Number of SES: 43;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 37.2;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 21.0;
September 2007: Number of SES: 42;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 38.1;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 16.7.
CFO Act agency: SBA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 37;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 32.4;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 37.8;
September 2007: Number of SES: 36;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 27.8;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 38.9.
CFO Act agency: SSA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 121;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 36.4;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 28.9;
September 2007: Number of SES: 134;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 41.8;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 27.6.
CFO Act agency: State;
September 2003: Number of SES: 120;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 30.0;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 7.5;
September 2007: Number of SES: 114;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 32.5;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 6.1.
CFO Act agency: Transportation;
September 2003: Number of SES: 194;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 32.0;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 17.5;
September 2007: Number of SES: 188;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 36.2;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 16.0.
CFO Act agency: Treasury;
September 2003: Number of SES: 403;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 30.8;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 16.1;
September 2007: Number of SES: 386;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 36.8;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 18.4.
CFO Act agency: VA;
September 2003: Number of SES: 262;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 18.7;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 9.5;
September 2007: Number of SES: 236;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 30.9;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 14.8.
CFO Act agency: Governmentwide[A];
September 2003: Number of SES: 6,221;
September 2003: Percent: Women: 26.4;
September 2003: Percent: Minorities: 15.3;
September 2007: Number of SES: 6,555;
September 2007: Percent: Women: 29.1;
September 2007: Percent: Minorities: 15.8.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: AID is the Agency for International Development; EPA is the
Environmental Protection Agency; GSA is the General Services
Administration; HHS is the Department of Health and Human Services; DHS
is the Department of Homeland Security; HUD is the Department of
Housing and Urban Development; NASA is the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration; NRC is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; NSF is
the National Science Foundation; SSA is the Social Security
Administration; and VA is the Department of Veterans Affairs.
[A] Governmentwide data include civilian employees of all cabinet-level
departments, independent agencies, commissions, councils, and boards in
the executive branch except the intelligence agencies, the U.S. Postal
Service, and the Foreign Service (as of 2007).
[End of table]
Minority representation in the career SES governmentwide generally
increased by less than 1 percentage point from September 2003 through
September 2007 as shown in table 6. During this period, the
representation of men in the SES decreased by 2.6 percentage points,
and White men by 2.7 percentage points; whereas, the percentage of
women increased by 2.7 percentage points.
Table 6: Changes in the Career SES Governmentwide for 2003 and 2007:
Career SES profile: African American men;
September 2003: Number: 347;
September 2003: Percent: 5.6;
September 2007: Number: 328;
September 2007: Percent: 5.0;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: -19;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: -0.6.
Career SES profile: African American women;
September 2003: Number: 211;
September 2003: Percent: 3.4;
September 2007: Number: 232;
September 2007: Percent: 3.5;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 21;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Career SES profile: American Indian/Alaska Native men;
September 2003: Number: 55;
September 2003: Percent: 0.9;
September 2007: Number: 60;
September 2007: Percent: 0.9;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 5;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.0.
Career SES profile: American Indian/Alaska Native women;
September 2003: Number: 21;
September 2003: Percent: 0.3;
September 2007: Number: 28;
September 2007: Percent: 0.4;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 7;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Career SES profile: Asian/ Pacific Islander men;
September 2003: Number: 83;
September 2003: Percent: 1.3;
September 2007: Number: 96;
September 2007: Percent: 1.5;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 13;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.2.
Career SES profile: Asian/ Pacific Islander women;
September 2003: Number: 44;
September 2003: Percent: 0.7;
September 2007: Number: 57;
September 2007: Percent: 0.9;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 13;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.2.
Career SES profile: Hispanic men;
September 2003: Number: 139;
September 2003: Percent: 2.2;
September 2007: Number: 176;
September 2007: Percent: 2.7;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 37;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.5.
Career SES profile: Hispanic women;
September 2003: Number: 48;
September 2003: Percent: 0.8;
September 2007: Number: 60;
September 2007: Percent: 0.9;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 12;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Career SES profile: White men;
September 2003: Number: 3,942;
September 2003: Percent: 63.4;
September 2007: Number: 3,976;
September 2007: Percent: 60.7;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 34;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: -2.7.
Career SES profile: White women;
September 2003: Number: 1,319;
September 2003: Percent: 21.2;
September 2007: Number: 1,526;
September 2007: Percent: 23.3;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 207;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 2.1.
Career SES profile: Unspecified/other;
September 2003: Number: 12;
September 2003: Percent: 0.2;
September 2007: Number: 16;
September 2007: Percent: 0.2;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 4;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.0.
Career SES profile: Total[A];
September 2003: Number: 6,221;
September 2003: Percent: 100.0;
September 2007: Number: 6,555;
September 2007: Percent: 100.0;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 334;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.0.
Career SES profile: Minorities;
September 2003: Number: 948;
September 2003: Percent: 15.2;
September 2007: Number: 1,037;
September 2007: Percent: 15.8;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 89;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.6.
Career SES profile: Men;
September 2003: Number: 4,575;
September 2003: Percent: 73.5;
September 2007: Number: 4,646;
September 2007: Percent: 70.9;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 71;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: -2.6.
Career SES profile: Minority men;
September 2003: Number: 624;
September 2003: Percent: 10.0;
September 2007: Number: 660;
September 2007: Percent: 10.1;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 36;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Career SES profile: Women;
September 2003: Number: 1,644;
September 2003: Percent: 26.4;
September 2007: Number: 1,909;
September 2007: Percent: 29.1;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 265;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 2.7.
Career SES profile: Minority women;
September 2003: Number: 324;
September 2003: Percent: 5.2;
September 2007: Number: 377;
September 2007: Percent: 5.8;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Number: 53;
Change in career SES governmentwide: Percent: 0.6.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Note: Governmentwide data include civilian employees of all cabinet-
level departments, independent agencies, commissions, councils, and
boards in the executive branch except the intelligence agencies, the
U.S. Postal Service, and the Foreign Service (as of 2007).
[A] Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding. The number of
men and women might not sum to the total SES because some employees may
have been missing data for race/ethnicity but may have had valid data
for gender or some employees may have been missing data for gender but
may have had valid data for race/ethnicity.
[End of table]
At DHS, the extent of change in the representation of career SES
employees was generally greater than the change that occurred in the
governmentwide SES from September 2003 through September 2007. For
example, as shown in table 7, the percentage of White women in DHS's
career SES was 23.1 percent in 2007, 5.8 percentage points above the
2003 rate of 17.3 percent. White men and African American men
experienced the largest decrease in their representation in the career
SES by 2007, dropping 3.1 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively.
Overall, minorities decreased from 15.9 to 13.2 percent.
Table 7: Changes in Career SES at DHS for 2003 and 2007:
DHS Career SES profile: African American men;
September 2003: Number: 13;
September 2003: Percent: 6.3; September 2007: Number: 13; September
2007: Percent: 4.0; Change in DHS career SES: Number: 0; Change in DHS
career SES: Percent: -2.3.
DHS Career SES profile: African American women;
September 2003: Number: 6;
September 2003: Percent: 2.9;
September 2007: Number: 7;
September 2007: Percent: 2.2;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.7.
DHS Career SES profile: American Indian/ Alaska Native men;
September 2003: Number: 0;
September 2003: Percent: 0.0;
September 2007: Number: 1;
September 2007: Percent: 0.3;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.3.
DHS Career SES profile: American Indian/ Alaska Native women;
September 2003: Number: 0;
September 2003: Percent: 0.0;
September 2007: Number: 0;
September 2007: Percent: 0.0;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 0;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.0.
DHS Career SES profile: Asian/ Pacific Islander men;
September 2003: Number: 2;
September 2003: Percent: 1.0;
September 2007: Number: 1;
September 2007: Percent: 0.3;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: -1;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.7.
DHS Career SES profile: Asian/ Pacific Islander women;
September 2003: Number: 1;
September 2003: Percent: 0.5;
September 2007: Number: 1;
September 2007: Percent: 0.3;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 0;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.2.
DHS Career SES profile: Hispanic men;
September 2003: Number: 10;
September 2003: Percent: 4.8;
September 2007: Number: 18;
September 2007: Percent: 5.5;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 8;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.7.
DHS Career SES profile: Hispanic women;
September 2003: Number: 1;
September 2003: Percent: 0.5;
September 2007: Number: 2;
September 2007: Percent: 0.6;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.1.
DHS Career SES profile: White men;
September 2003: Number: 139;
September 2003: Percent: 66.8;
September 2007: Number: 207;
September 2007: Percent: 63.7;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 68;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -3.1.
DHS Career SES profile: White women;
September 2003: Number: 36;
September 2003: Percent: 17.3;
September 2007: Number: 75;
September 2007: Percent: 23.1;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 39;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 5.8.
DHS Career SES profile: Unspecified/other;
September 2003: Number: 0;
September 2003: Percent: 0.0;
September 2007: Number: 0;
September 2007: Percent: 0.0;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 0;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.0.
DHS Career SES profile: Total[A];
September 2003: Number: 208;
September 2003: Percent: 100.0;
September 2007: Number: 325;
September 2007: Percent: 100.0;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 117;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.0.
DHS Career SES profile: Minorities;
September 2003: Number: 33;
September 2003: Percent: 15.9;
September 2007: Number: 43;
September 2007: Percent: 13.2;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 10;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -2.7.
DHS Career SES profile: Men;
September 2003: Number: 164;
September 2003: Percent: 78.9;
September 2007: Number: 240;
September 2007: Percent: 73.8;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 76;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -5.1.
DHS Career SES profile: Minority men;
September 2003: Number: 25;
September 2003: Percent: 12.0;
September 2007: Number: 33;
September 2007: Percent: 10.2;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 8;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -1.8.
DHS Career SES profile: Women;
September 2003: Number: 44;
September 2003: Percent: 21.2;
September 2007: Number: 85;
September 2007: Percent: 26.2;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 41;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 5.0.
DHS Career SES profile: Minority women;
September 2003: Number: 8;
September 2003: Percent: 3.8;
September 2007: Number: 10;
September 2007: Percent: 3.1;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 2;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.7.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
[A] Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.
[End of table]
Representation in the Career SES Developmental Pool Governmentwide and
at DHS:
The vast majority of potential successors for career SES positions will
come from the GS pay plan for grades GS-15 and GS-14, the levels that
serve as the SES developmental pool.[Footnote 6] Table 8 shows the
changes in the representation of the SES developmental pool
governmentwide from September 2003 to September 2007. Governmentwide,
the total number of employees in the SES developmental pool decreased
slightly from September 2003 to September 2007. The greatest change in
representation was a decrease of 5.3 percentage points in the number of
White men from 2003 to 2007. The percentage of women in the
governmentwide SES developmental pool increased by 3.9 percentage
points between 2003 and 2007, but the percentage of men in this
developmental pool decreased by this same amount. By 2007, the
representation of each of the minority groups in the governmentwide SES
developmental pool increased by 1.3 percentage points or fewer,
resulting in an overall increase of 3.7 percentage points for
minorities.
Table 8: Changes in the SES Developmental Pool Governmentwide for 2003
and 2007:
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): African American
men;
September 2003: Number: 6,035;
September 2003: Percent: 4.0;
September 2007: Number: 6,439;
September 2007: Percent: 4.3; Change in SES developmental pool
governmentwide: Number: 404; Change in SES developmental pool
governmentwide: Percent: 0.3.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): African American
women;
September 2003: Number: 7,276;
September 2003: Percent: 4.8;
September 2007: Number: 9,108;
September 2007: Percent: 6.1;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 1,832;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 1.3.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): American Indian/
Alaska Native men;
September 2003: Number: 978;
September 2003: Percent: 0.6;
September 2007: Number: 938;
September 2007: Percent: 0.6;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: -40;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.0.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): American Indian/
Alaska Native women;
September 2003: Number: 489;
September 2003: Percent: 0.3;
September 2007: Number: 590;
September 2007: Percent: 0.4;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 101;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Asian/ Pacific
Islander men;
September 2003: Number: 5,452;
September 2003: Percent: 3.6;
September 2007: Number: 6,305;
September 2007: Percent: 4.2;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 853;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.6.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Asian/ Pacific
Islander women;
September 2003: Number: 2,546;
September 2003: Percent: 1.7;
September 2007: Number: 3,503;
September 2007: Percent: 2.3;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 957;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.6.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Hispanic men;
September 2003: Number: 4,051;
September 2003: Percent: 2.7;
September 2007: Number: 4,418;
September 2007: Percent: 3.0;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 367;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.3.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Hispanic women;
September 2003: Number: 1,740;
September 2003: Percent: 1.1;
September 2007: Number: 2,193;
September 2007: Percent: 1.5;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 453;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.4.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): White men;
September 2003: Number: 89,333;
September 2003: Percent: 58.7;
September 2007: Number: 79,718;
September 2007: Percent: 53.4;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: -9,615;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: -5.3.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): White women;
September 2003: Number: 34,081;
September 2003: Percent: 22.4;
September 2007: Number: 35,650;
September 2007: Percent: 23.9;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 1,569;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 1.5.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Unspecified/
other;
September 2003: Number: 142;
September 2003: Percent: 0.1;
September 2007: Number: 287;
September 2007: Percent: 0.2;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 145;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.1.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Total[A];
September 2003: Number: 152,123;
September 2003: Percent: 100.0;
September 2007: Number: 149,149;
September 2007: Percent: 100.0;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: -2,974;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 0.0.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minorities;
September 2003: Number: 28,567;
September 2003: Percent: 18.8;
September 2007: Number: 33,494;
September 2007: Percent: 22.5;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 4,927;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 3.7.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Men;
September 2003: Number: 105,945;
September 2003: Percent: 69.6;
September 2007: Number: 98,003;
September 2007: Percent: 65.7;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: -7,942;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: -3.9.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minority men;
September 2003: Number: 16,516;
September 2003: Percent: 10.9;
September 2007: Number: 18,100;
September 2007: Percent: 12.1;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 1,584;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 1.2.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Women;
September 2003: Number: 46,178;
September 2003: Percent: 30.4;
September 2007: Number: 51,146;
September 2007: Percent: 34.3;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 4,968;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 3.9.
Profile of SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minority women;
September 2003: Number: 12,051;
September 2003: Percent: 7.9;
September 2007: Number: 15,394;
September 2007: Percent: 10.3;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Number: 3,343;
Change in SES developmental pool governmentwide: Percent: 2.4.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Note: Governmentwide includes civilian employees of all cabinet-level
departments, independent agencies, commissions, councils, and boards in
the executive branch except the intelligence agencies, the U.S. Postal
Service, and the Foreign Service (as of 2007). We included GS-15, GS-
14, and equivalent employees. GS-equivalent employees are those in
equivalent grades under other pay plans that follow the GS grade
structure and job evaluation methodology or are equivalent by statute.
[A] Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.
[End of table]
Unlike the total number of employees in the governmentwide SES
developmental pool, those in DHS's SES developmental pool increased by
more than half. The two greatest changes in representation within DHS's
career SES developmental pool from September 2003 through September
2007 were for White men, which decreased by 4.2 percentage points, and
minorities, which increased by 4.6 percentage points, of which African
American women increased by 1.8 percentage points, as shown in table 9.
Table 9: Changes in the Career SES Developmental Pool at DHS for 2003
and 2007:
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): African
American men;
September 2003: Number: 245;
September 2003: Percent: 3.8;
September 2007: Number: 467;
September 2007: Percent: 4.6;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 222;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.8.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): African
American women;
September 2003: Number: 328;
September 2003: Percent: 5.0;
September 2007: Number: 683;
September 2007: Percent: 6.8;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 355;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 1.8.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): American
Indian/Alaska Native men;
September 2003: Number: 34;
September 2003: Percent: 0.5;
September 2007: Number: 36;
September 2007: Percent: 0.4;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 2;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.1.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): American
Indian/Alaska Native women;
September 2003: Number: 12;
September 2003: Percent: 0.2;
September 2007: Number: 19;
September 2007: Percent: 0.2;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 7;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.0.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Asian/
Pacific Islander men;
September 2003: Number: 87;
September 2003: Percent: 1.3;
September 2007: Number: 204;
September 2007: Percent: 2.0;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 117;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.7.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Asian/
Pacific Islander women;
September 2003: Number: 56;
September 2003: Percent: 0.9;
September 2007: Number: 138;
September 2007: Percent: 1.4;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 82;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.5.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Hispanic
men;
September 2003: Number: 375;
September 2003: Percent: 5.8;
September 2007: Number: 641;
September 2007: Percent: 6.3;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 266;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.5.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Hispanic
women;
September 2003: Number: 133;
September 2003: Percent: 2.0;
September 2007: Number: 245;
September 2007: Percent: 2.4;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 112;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.4.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): White men;
September 2003: Number: 3,806;
September 2003: Percent: 58.3;
September 2007: Number: 5,469;
September 2007: Percent: 54.1;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1,663;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -4.2.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): White women;
September 2003: Number: 1,439;
September 2003: Percent: 22.1;
September 2007: Number: 2,195;
September 2007: Percent: 21.7;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 756;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.4.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Unspecified/
other;
September 2003: Number: 10;
September 2003: Percent: 0.2;
September 2007: Number: 10;
September 2007: Percent: 0.1;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 0;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -0.1.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Total[A];
September 2003: Number: 6,525;
September 2003: Percent: 100.0;
September 2007: Number: 10,107;
September 2007: Percent: 100.0;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 3,582;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 0.0.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minorities;
September 2003: Number: 1,270;
September 2003: Percent: 19.5;
September 2007: Number: 2,433;
September 2007: Percent: 24.1;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1,163;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 4.6.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Men;
September 2003: Number: 4,556;
September 2003: Percent: 69.8;
September 2007: Number: 6,824;
September 2007: Percent: 67.5;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 2,268;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: -2.3.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minority
men;
September 2003: Number: 741;
September 2003: Percent: 11.4;
September 2007: Number: 1,348;
September 2007: Percent: 13.3;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 607;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 1.9.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Women;
September 2003: Number: 1,969;
September 2003: Percent: 30.2;
September 2007: Number: 3,283;
September 2007: Percent: 32.5;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 1,314;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 2.3.
Profile of DHS SES developmental pool (GS-15s and GS-14s): Minority
women;
September 2003: Number: 529;
September 2003: Percent: 8.1;
September 2007: Number: 1,085;
September 2007: Percent: 10.7;
Change in DHS career SES: Number: 556;
Change in DHS career SES: Percent: 2.6.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
[A] Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.
[End of table]
While we did not analyze factors that contributed to changes in DHS
workforce from September 2003 through September 2007, OPM and the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in their oversight roles
require federal agencies, including DHS, to analyze their workforces.
Both OPM and EEOC also report on governmentwide representation levels.
Under OPM's regulations implementing the Federal Equal Opportunity
Recruitment Program (FEORP),[Footnote 7] agencies are required to
determine where representation levels for covered groups are lower than
the civilian labor force (CLF) and take steps to address those
differences. EEOC's Management Directive 715 (MD-715) provides guidance
and standards to federal agencies for establishing and maintaining
effective equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs, including a
framework for executive branch agencies to help ensure effective
management, accountability, and self-analysis to determine whether
barriers to EEO exist and to identify and develop strategies to
mitigate or eliminate the barriers to participation.[Footnote 8]
Specifically EEOC's MD-715 states that agency personnel programs and
policies should be evaluated regularly to ascertain whether such
programs have any barriers that tend to limit or restrict equitable
opportunities for open competition in the workplace. The initial step
is for agencies to analyze their workforce data with designated
benchmarks, including the CLF. If analysis of their workforce profiles
identifies potential barriers, agencies are to examine all related
policies, procedures, and practices to determine whether an actual
barrier exists. EEOC requires agencies to report the results of their
analyses annually.
DHS Has Reported Taking Steps to Affect the Diversity of Its Workforce
That Are Consistent with Leading Diversity Management Practices:
A high-performance organization relies on a dynamic workforce with the
requisite talents and up-to-date skills to ensure that it is equipped
to accomplish its mission and achieve its goals. Such organizations
typically foster a work environment in which people are enabled and
motivated to contribute to continuous learning and improvement as well
as mission accomplishment and which provides both accountability and
fairness for all employees. In addition, the approach that a high-
performance organization takes toward its workforce is inclusive and
draws on the strengths of employees at all levels and of all
backgrounds. This approach is consistent with that of diversity
management. We have defined diversity management as a process intended
to create and maintain a positive work environment where the
similarities and differences of individuals are valued, so that all can
reach their potential and maximize their contributions to an
organization's strategic goals and objectives. In our past work, we
identified nine leading practices in diversity management that experts
agreed should be present in some combination for creating and managing
diversity.[Footnote 9] The leading diversity management practices
identified by a majority of experts were as follows:
* Top leadership commitment--a vision of diversity demonstrated and
communicated throughout an organization by top-level management.
* Diversity as part of an organization's strategic plan--a diversity
strategy and plan that are developed and aligned with the
organization's strategic plan.
* Diversity linked to performance--the understanding that a more
diverse and inclusive work environment can yield greater productivity
and help improve individual and organizational performance.
* Measurement--a set of quantitative and qualitative measures of the
effect of various aspects of an overall diversity program.
* Accountability--the means to ensure that leaders are responsible for
diversity by linking their performance assessment and compensation to
the progress of diversity initiatives.
* Succession planning--an ongoing, strategic process for identifying
and developing a diverse pool of talent for an organization's potential
future leaders.
* Recruitment--the process of attracting a supply of qualified, diverse
applicants for employment.
* Employee involvement--the contribution of employees in driving
diversity throughout an organization.
* Diversity training--organizational efforts to inform and educate
management and staff about diversity.
DHS's Acting Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) testified in April 2008
on actions the Department is taking to create and manage its
workforce.[Footnote 10] These actions are consistent with leading
diversity management practices in four areas: (1) a diversity strategy
as part of its strategic plan, (2) recruitment, (3) employee
involvement, and (4) succession planning. We have not conducted a
review of DHS's diversity management efforts; therefore, we cannot
comment on the effectiveness of DHS's implementation of these
practices. In addition, because we do not highlight a particular
practice, it is not meant to imply success or lack of success by DHS in
implementing other diversity management practices.
Diversity strategy as part of the strategic plan. DHS established an
objective in its 2004 Strategic Plan to "ensure effective recruitment,
development, compensation, succession management and leadership of a
diverse workforce to provide optimal service at a responsible cost." In
an August 2007 progress report on implementation of mission and
management functions,[Footnote 11] we indicated that DHS had taken
action to satisfy most of the elements related to developing a results-
oriented strategic human capital plan. We noted that in addition to the
strategic human capital plan that DHS issued in October 2004, which
covers 2004 to 2008, the department developed a fiscal year 2007 and
2008 Human Capital Operational Plan, which provides measurable goals
that the department is using to gauge the effectiveness of its human
capital efforts. DHS officials provided us with a copy of DHS's
Corporate Diversity Strategy, issued in March 2008, and stated that the
department has developed a Diversity Action Plan, which it plans to
submit to the DHS Diversity Council for approval in May 2008.[Footnote
12] The Diversity Strategy outlines DHS's policy of encouraging a
diverse workforce and the value of a diverse workforce in accomplishing
DHS's mission. Among the guiding principles is integrating diversity
into the organization culture rather than as a stand alone program and
recognizing that diversity is a matter of equity and fairness. To help
ensure accountability, among other things, the strategy calls for
establishing a senior-level Diversity Council, which DHS officials
reported has been done, integrating diversity strategies into DHS's
comprehensive human resource operation, and ensuring that all DHS
leaders have access to training, tools, and support needed to serve as
de facto diversity champions.
Recruitment. To achieve its strategic plan objective of a diverse
workforce, in his April 2008 testimony, DHS's Acting CHCO stated that
recruitment strategies have been implemented at the department and
component levels to improve diversity of the DHS talent pool. DHS
officials told us that the department partners with several minority-
serving institutions and participates in several intern, scholarship,
and fellowship programs; officials provided a recruitment brochure.
These officials also indicated that in October 2007, the DHS began a
Veterans' Outreach Program as a means of recruiting a diverse
workforce. This outreach strategy consists of (1) a Web site for one-
stop employment and other information, (2) an advisory forum of
external veterans as stakeholders, and (3) training in veterans'
preference and reemployment rights for EEO and human capital
specialists. DHS has also created an SES-level Director of Recruiting
and Diversity within the Chief Human Capital Office.
Employee Involvement. Employees can make valuable contributions in
driving diversity throughout an organization. Our work on leading
diversity management practices identified several forms these
contributions can take, including mentoring and community outreach with
private employers, public schools, and universities. DHS officials
described actions the department is taking to provide opportunities for
employees at various levels throughout the department to receive
mentoring. In addition, DHS officials stated that they have developed
formal partnerships with minority professional service organizations,
including the Urban League's Black Executive Exchange Program, where
DHS provides speakers that participate in outreach programs at
historically black colleges and universities. DHS officials indicated
they are pursuing similar partnerships with the National Association of
Hispanic Federal Executives, the African American Federal Executive
Association, and the Asian American Executive Network.
Succession Planning. Succession planning is a comprehensive, ongoing
strategic process that provides for forecasting an organization's
senior leadership and other needs; identifying and developing
candidates who have the potential to be future leaders; and selecting
individuals from among a diverse pool of qualified candidates to meet
executive resource needs. Succession planning and management can help
an organization become what it needs to be, rather than simply recreate
the existing organization. Leading organizations go beyond a
"replacement" approach that focuses on identifying particular
individuals as possible successors for specific top-ranking positions
and engage in broad, integrated succession planning and management
efforts that focus on strengthening both current and future capacity.
They anticipate the need for leaders and other key employees with the
necessary competencies to successfully meet the complex challenges of
the 21st century.
For DHS, in addition to the changes that will occur as a result of the
upcoming new administration, several factors including recent turnover
and expected retirements provide opportunities for DHS to affect the
diversity of its workforce and highlight the importance of succession
planning. Recently, we reported that the overall attrition rates for
permanent DHS employees (excluding SES and presidential appointees) at
8 percent and 7 percent in 2005 and 2006, respectively, exceeded the 4
percent average rate for all cabinet-level agencies.[Footnote 13] These
higher attrition rates, about 14 to 17 percent, were among
transportation security officers in DHS's Transportation Security
Administration. The attrition rate for SES and presidential appointees
was also higher than the average senior-level attrition rate for all
cabinet-level departments. As for retirements, about 20 percent of
career employees at DHS as of fiscal year 2007 are projected to be
eligible to retire by 2012, and certain key occupations within the
department are expected to have high retirement eligibility rates, such
as customs and border protection agents--about 51 percent.[Footnote 14]
In 2006, OPM reported that approximately 60 percent of the executive
branch's 1.6 million white-collar employees and 90 percent of about
6,000 federal executives will be eligible for retirement over the next
10 years. Considering retirement eligibility and actual retirement
rates of the SES is important because individuals normally do not enter
the SES until well into their careers; thus SES retirement eligibility
is much higher than for the workforce in general. If a significant
number of SES members were to retire, it could result in a loss of
leadership continuity, institutional knowledge, and expertise among the
SES corps, with the degree of loss varying among agencies and
occupations.
Succession planning also is tied to the federal government's
opportunity to affect the diversity of the executive corps through new
appointments. Racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the SES is an
important component for the effective operation of the government. In
September 2003, we reported that agencies in other countries use
succession planning and management to achieve a more diverse workforce,
maintain their leadership capacity, and increase the retention of high-
potential staff.[Footnote 15]
According to the Acting CHCO's April 3, 2008, testimony and discussion
with senior level human capital officials, the department is taking
steps to develop a qualified and diverse pool of applicants for SES
positions by preparing its mid-career employees through a variety of
leadership development programs. These programs include the DHS SES
Candidate Development Program (primarily for GS-15s) and the DHS
Fellows Program (for GS-13s, GS-14s, and GS-15s). See appendix II for
representation data for both programs since their inception. According
to DHS officials, the DHS Fellows Program, initiated in 2006, is a
competitive developmental program where participants are placed in high-
visibility rotational assignments, receive training in such areas as
leadership, and form small groups to work on specific projects. After
completion of this 11-month program, participants remain in their
current assignments but, according to DHS officials, are prepared for
advancement when the opportunities arise. Participants in both of the
DHS leadership programs receive mentoring and coaching and rotational
assignments. However, according to DHS officials, employees at other
levels of the organization can also participate in ad hoc mentoring and
rotational assignments. Effective training and development programs can
enhance the federal government's ability to prepare its workforce and
thereby achieve results. The efforts that DHS officials described are
consistent with these practices.
Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and Members of the Committee,
this concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to respond to
any questions that you may have.
Contacts and Acknowledgments:
For further information regarding this statement, please contact George
Stalcup, Director, Strategic Issues, on (202) 512-6806 or at
stalcupg@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional
Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this
statement. Individuals making key contributions to this statement
included Belva Martin and Kiki Theodoropoulos, Assistant Directors;
Karin Fangman; Mary Y. Martin; and Greg Wilmoth.
[End of section]
Appendix I: Department of Homeland Security Representation Data by
Component:
Tables 10 and 11 below provide demographic data by race and gender on
the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) career employees by DHS
component for September 2003 and September 2007.[Footnote 16] In 2003
and 2007, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) and the U.S.
Immigration Customs Enforcement (USICE) had the highest percentage of
Hispanic men, while the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
had the highest percentage of African American men.
Table 10: Percentage Representation at DHS by Component for Career
Employees as of September 2003:
Component: DNDO;
September 2003: African American: M: 7.8;
September 2003: African American: W: 17.3;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.8;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.7;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 0.6;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.7;
September 2003: White: M: 48.0;
September 2003: White: W: 19.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.6;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: FEMA;
September 2003: African American: M: 5.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 11.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.1;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.7;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 1.4;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.4;
September 2003: White: M: 52.2;
September 2003: White: W: 25.9;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: FLETC;
September 2003: African American: M: 4.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 4.7;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 1.2;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0.7;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.7;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 1.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.2;
September 2003: White: M: 57.0;
September 2003: White: W: 29.2;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: HQ[A];
September 2003: African American: M: 4.4;
September 2003: African American: W: 16.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.7;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.4;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 2.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.1;
September 2003: White: M: 42.3;
September 2003: White: W: 29.6;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: IG;
September 2003: African American: M: 8.2;
September 2003: African American: W: 15.5;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 1.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.1;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 5.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 4.9;
September 2003: White: M: 41.2;
September 2003: White: W: 18.3;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: TSA;
September 2003: African American: M: 11.1;
September 2003: African American: W: 7.8;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.5;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 8.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 3.1;
September 2003: White: M: 47.5;
September 2003: White: W: 18.2;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USCBP;
September 2003: African American: M: 4.5;
September 2003: African American: W: 6.3;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.3;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 14.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 6.3;
September 2003: White: M: 43.0;
September 2003: White: W: 19.2;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.2;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USCG;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.3;
September 2003: African American: W: 10.1;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.5;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 2.6;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 1.7;
September 2003: White: M: 50.2;
September 2003: White: W: 24.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.2;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.1.
Component: USCIS;
September 2003: African American: M: b;
September 2003: African American: W: b;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: b;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: b;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: b;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: b;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: b;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: b;
September 2003: White: M: b;
September 2003: White: W: b;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: b;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: b.
Component: USICE;
September 2003: African American: M: 4.3;
September 2003: African American: W: 5.8;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.8;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.8;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 24.1;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 6.7;
September 2003: White: M: 39.1;
September 2003: White: W: 14.6;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USSS;
September 2003: African American: M: 9.0;
September 2003: African American: W: 9.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.5;
September 2003: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 4.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 2.2;
September 2003: White: M: 56.7;
September 2003: White: W: 16.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: Other/ unspecified;
September 2003: African American: M: 0.0;
September 2003: African American: W: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 0.0;
September 2003: White: M: 0.0;
September 2003: White: W: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: DHS-wide;
September 2003: African American: M: 6.8;
September 2003: African American: W: 7.1;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2003: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.7;
September 2003: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2003: Hispanic: M: 14.2;
September 2003: Hispanic: W: 4.8;
September 2003: White: M: 44.4;
September 2003: White: W: 17.7;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2003: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Source: GAO analysis of the Office of Personnel Management's Central
Personnel Data File.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women. DNDO is the Domestic Nuclear Detection
Office; FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency; FLETC is the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; HQ is DHS Headquarters; IG is
the Inspector General's Office; TSA is the Transportation Security
Administration; USCBP is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; USCG
is the U.S. Coast Guard; USCIS is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services; USICE is the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, and USSS
is the U.S. Secret Service. Other/unspecified includes those who could
not be placed in one of the above DHS components.
[A] DHS HQ includes several program offices, such as the National
Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), and staff offices, such as
the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, under the Directorate for
Management.
[B] USCIS did not report data to the Office of Personnel Management's
(OPM) Central Personnel Data File (CPDF) for 2003.
[End of table]
Table 11: Percentage Representation at DHS by Component for Career
Employees as of September 2007:
Component: DNDO;
September 2007: African American: M: 4.1;
September 2007: African American: W: 9.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.2;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.4;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.4;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 2.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 1.2;
September 2007: White: M: 50.8;
September 2007: White: W: 28.3;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: FEMA;
September 2007: African American: M: 7.3;
September 2007: African American: W: 14.1;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.4;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.5;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.9;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 1.4;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 1.2;
September 2007: White: M: 49.3;
September 2007: White: W: 23.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: FLETC;
September 2007: African American: M: 3.9;
September 2007: African American: W: 5.1;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 1.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0.6;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 0.5;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 2.7;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 1.9;
September 2007: White: M: 57.9;
September 2007: White: W: 25.7;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: HQ[A];
September 2007: African American: M: 6.6;
September 2007: African American: W: 14.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.2;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1.7;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.7;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 1.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 1.0;
September 2007: White: M: 46.8;
September 2007: White: W: 25.8;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: IG;
September 2007: African American: M: 5.8;
September 2007: African American: W: 12.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.6;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.5;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 2.7;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 8.3;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 5.4;
September 2007: White: M: 41.2;
September 2007: White: W: 19.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.3;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.4.
Component: TSA;
September 2007: African American: M: 11.3;
September 2007: African American: W: 10.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.7;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.5;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.5;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 8.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 4.6;
September 2007: White: M: 39.8;
September 2007: White: W: 18.9;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USCBP;
September 2007: African American: M: 3.1;
September 2007: African American: W: 3.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.1;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 27.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 5.4;
September 2007: White: M: 42.8;
September 2007: White: W: 12.9;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USCG;
September 2007: African American: M: 6.2;
September 2007: African American: W: 9.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.3;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.8;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 2.8;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 1.4;
September 2007: White: M: 53.4;
September 2007: White: W: 21.9;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.1.
Component: USCIS;
September 2007: African American: M: 4.3;
September 2007: African American: W: 13.1;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.2;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.4;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 4.0;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 5.3;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 5.0;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 9.2;
September 2007: White: M: 26.3;
September 2007: White: W: 32.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USICE;
September 2007: African American: M: 5.5;
September 2007: African American: W: 5.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.2;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.8;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.3;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 16.1;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 5.8;
September 2007: White: M: 46.3;
September 2007: White: W: 15.5;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: USSS;
September 2007: African American: M: 9.3;
September 2007: African American: W: 8.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.4;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2.0;
September 2007: Asian/ Pacific Islander: W: 1.2;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 4.0;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 2.1;
September 2007: White: M: 57.7;
September 2007: White: W: 14.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.2;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.1.
Component: Other/ unspecified;
September 2007: African American: M: 1.8;
September 2007: African American: W: 5.3;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.0;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.0;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.5;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 7.0;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 1.8;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 0.0;
September 2007: White: M: 61.4;
September 2007: White: W: 19.3;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.0;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Component: DHS-wide;
September 2007: African American: M: 7.1;
September 2007: African American: W: 7.8;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0.5;
September 2007: American Indian/Alaska Native: W: 0.3;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 3.1;
September 2007: Asian/Pacific Islander: W: 1.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: M: 14.6;
September 2007: Hispanic: W: 4.9;
September 2007: White: M: 42.5;
September 2007: White: W: 17.6;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: M: 0.1;
September 2007: Unspecified/ other: W: 0.0.
Source: GAO analysis of OPM's CPDF.
Notes: M = Men and W = Women. DNDO is the Domestic Nuclear Detection
Office; FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency; FLETC is the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; HQ is DHS Headquarters; IG is
the Inspector General's Office; TSA is the Transportation Security
Administration; USCBP is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; USCG
is the U.S. Coast Guard; USCIS is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services; USICE is the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, and USSS
is the U.S. Secret Service. Other/unspecified includes those who could
not be placed in one of the above DHS components.
[A] DHS HQ includes several program offices, such as the National
Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), and staff offices, such as
the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, under the Directorate for
Management.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix II: Representation Data for DHS Leadership Development
Programs:
DHS officials stated that they have two formal leadership development
programs to prepare future DHS leaders: the DHS Fellows Program for GS-
13, GS-14, and GS-15 staff (an 11-month program) and the DHS Senior
Executive Service (SES) Candidate Development Program, generally for GS-
15s (an 18-month program). Tables 12 and 13 below provide a breakdown
of the representation of women and minorities in each of these
programs.
Table 12: Representation in DHS Fellows Program for GS-13, GS-14, and
GS-15 Staff:
DHS Fellows Program: 2007 class;
African American: M: 1;
African American: F: 1;
American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0;
American Indian/ Alaska Native: F: 1;
Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 0;
Asian/Pacific Islander: F: 0;
Hispanic: M: 4;
Hispanic: F: 0;
White: M: 15;
White: F: 8;
Unspecified/ other: M: 0;
Unspecified/ other: F: 0;
Total: 30.
DHS Fellows Program: 2008 class;
African American: M: 2;
African American: F: 2;
American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0;
American Indian/ Alaska Native: F: 0;
Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 2;
Asian/Pacific Islander: F: 1;
Hispanic: M: 0;
Hispanic: F: 1;
White: M: 29;
White: F: 11;
Unspecified/ other: M: 2;
Unspecified/ other: F: 0;
Total: 50.
Source: DHS.
Note: M = Men and W = Women.
[End of table]
Table 13: Representation in DHS SES Candidate Development Program:
DHS SES Candidate Development Program: 2007 to 2008 class;
African American: M: 1;
African American: F: 0;
American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0;
American Indian/Alaska Native: F: 0;
Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1;
Asian/Pacific Islander: F: 1;
Hispanic: M: 0;
Hispanic: F: 0;
White: M: 9;
White: F: 2;
Unspecified/ other: M: 0;
Unspecified/ other: F: 0;
Total: 14.
DHS SES Candidate Development Program: 2008 to 2009 class;
African American: M: 2;
African American: F: 3;
American Indian/Alaska Native: M: 0;
American Indian/Alaska Native: F: 0;
Asian/Pacific Islander: M: 1;
Asian/Pacific Islander: F: 0;
Hispanic: M: 3;
Hispanic: F: 0;
White: M: 10;
White: F: 4;
Unspecified/ other: M: 0;
Unspecified/ other: F: 0;
Total: 23.
Source: DHS.
Note: M = Men and W = Women.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] GAO, High Risk Series: An Update, GAO-07-310 (Washington, D.C.:
Jan. 31, 2007).
[2] The 167,000 employees include those that are permanent, or career,
and nonpermanent, or noncareer, as of September 2007. In this
testimony, we only provide information on career employees.
[3] GAO, OPM's Central Personnel Data File: Data Appear Sufficiently
Reliable to Meet Most Customer Needs, GAO/GGD-98-199 (Washington, D.C.:
Sept. 30, 1998). Also, in a document dated February 28, 2008, an OPM
official confirmed that OPM continues to follow the CPDF data quality
standards and procedures contained in our 1998 report.
[4] Pub. L. No. 101-576 (1990), as amended. The CFO Act agencies are 24
major executive agencies that are subject to the CFO Act. In 2007, the
CFO Act agencies employed 98 percent of federal employees.
[5] Career SES members are individuals with civil service status
(permanent) who are appointed competitively to SES positions and serve
in positions below the top political appointees in the executive branch
of government.
[6] We included GS-15, GS-14, and equivalent employees. GS-equivalent
employees are those in equivalent grades under other pay plans that
follow the GS grade structure and job evaluation methodology or are
equivalent by statute.
[7] 5 U.S.C. § 7201 and 5 C.F.R. Part 720, Subpart B.
[8] EEOC defines barriers as agency policies, principles, or practices
that limit or tend to limit employment opportunities for those of a
particular gender, race, or ethnic background or based on an
individual's disability status.
[9] See GAO, Diversity Management: Expert-Identified Leading Practices
and Agency Examples, GAO-05-90 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 14, 2005).
[10] Statement by Bray Barnes, Acting Chief Human Capital Officer,
Department of Homeland Security, before the House Subcommittee on the
Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia and
Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal
Workforce, and the District of Columbia (Apr. 3, 2008).
[11] GAO, Department of Homeland Security: Progress Report on
Implementation of Mission and Management Functions, GAO-07-454
(Washington, D.C.: Aug. 17, 2007).
[12] DHS officials stated that the DHS Diversity Council is made up of
the second-and third-highest ranking officials from each DHS component.
[13] GAO, Homeland Security: DHS's Action to Recruit and Retain Staff
and Comply with the Vacancies Reform Act, GAO-07-758 (Washington, D.C.:
July 16, 2007).
[14] GAO, Older Workers: Federal Agencies Face Challenges but Have
Opportunities to Hire and Retain Experienced Employees, GAO-08-630T,
(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 30, 2008).
[15] GAO, Human Capital: Insights for U.S. Agencies from Other
Countries' Succession Planning and Management Initiatives, GAO-03-914
(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 15, 2003).
[16] We did not analyze whether diversity differences between DHS
components corresponded to differences in occupational make-up,
educational job requirements, geographic location of jobs, or other
relevant factors.
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