Federal Downsizing

The Status of Agencies' Workforce Reduction Efforts Gao ID: T-GGD-96-124 May 23, 1996

The downsizing of the federal workforce is ahead of the schedule set by the Workforce Restructuring Act. At the same time, the administration has called on agencies to restructure their workforces by reducing management positions. These jobs have yet to be reduced to the extent called for by the National Performance Review. With regard to future workforce reductions, GAO found that in terms of absolute numbers--and given historical quit rates--the remaining employment ceilings called for by the act probably could be achieved governmentwide through attrition. Nevertheless, some agencies may be forced to downsize more than others. In such situations, buyouts or reductions-in-force (RIF) may be necessary. GAO found that buyouts offer greater savings than RIFs, except when RIFed employees do not bump and retreat and are eligible to retire.



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