Federal Employment

GAO testified that although the number of women and minorities in key jobs has generally improved at the 25 federal agencies it reviewed, these groups are still less well represented in key jobs at upper grades than at lower grades. GAO also testified that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has not coordinated the roles of its various internal offices to address sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination. As a result, these offices occasionally have undertaken separate investigations of the same incident. Doubts have been raised about the confidentiality, objectivity, and independence of some of the Bureau's inquiries. These concerns range from a perceived lack of confidentiality during internal investigations to disparities in the rights accorded complainants during separate Bureau inquiries of the same incident.