Changes Needed in Personnel Practices of the Agency for International Development

Gao ID: ID-78-25 March 15, 1978

The purpose of the Agency for International Development's (AID) reorganization and other recent personnel management initiatives is to improve operating efficiency and effectiveness. The reorganization plans are far reaching in their impact on operations and personnel.

Imbalances continue in AID staffing levels, grades, and skills. As of October 31, 1977: many foreign service employees occupied positions that were one, two, or three grades below their equivalent foreign service rank; a large number of foreign service employees remained in Washington beyond their 3-year rotation; because of rank and occupational background, 64 foreign service employees were not assigned to permanent Washington positions; administrative and management positions in AID overseas missions were overgraded; and there were significant variances in staffing patterns of overseas missions in relation to the size and complexity of their programs. The relatively high grading in the overseas missions is one of the principal causes of overgrading in Washington. These problems can be attributed to the "rank-in-person" concept which enables foreign service employees to be advanced in personal rank without regard to job responsibilities.

Recommendations

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