Helping Agencies Attract and Retain Older Workers

• The federal workforce, like the nation’s workforce as a whole, is aging. As experienced employees retire, they leave behind critical gaps in leadership and institutional knowledge, increasing the challenges government agencies face in maintaining a skilled workforce.
• Governmentwide, as of the end of fiscal year 2007, about one-third of federal career employees were eligible to retire by 2012. Many of these workers are concentrated in certain agencies and occupations.
• As shown in the figure, 50 percent or more of the workers in 24 of the 315 occupations we reviewed were eligible to retire by 2012.  Because of these trends, the federal government and other employers may face increased competition in hiring skilled workers.

Figure: Certain Occupations Will Have High Retirement Eligibility Rates by FY 2012

Source: GAO analysis of CPDF data.

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

• OPM should broadly disseminate agency-developed practices that individual agencies have found useful in recruiting and retaining older workers. Because OPM's Web site does not provide information on agency-developed practices, this information is not readily available governmentwide
  
  Highlights of GAO-09-206 (PDF)
• Addressing the looming retirement wave is a shared responsibility between OPM and agencies, and the federal government is making progress toward becoming a model employer of older workers.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-630T (PDF)
• It will be important for OPM to continue to provide leadership and support to help agencies better plan for the aging federal workforce and to take advantage of existing hiring and retention flexibilities.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-630T (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Older Workers

Older Workers

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