SOURCE: www.opm.gov
Dramatic Movement Made in Overhauling How the Federal Government Hires Its Workforce
Washington, DC – Today, representatives from across the Federal government gathered at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to share their stories as to how Federal agencies have successfully overcome barriers in order to implement hiring reform within the Federal workforce. Speaking at HUD, United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director John Berry was joined by the Federal government’s leading Chief Human Capital Officers in addressing the progress that has been made over the past six months. Officials gathered at HUD, as the Department’s hiring process reforms represent the improvements in efficiency that have been achieved thanks to President Obama’s reforms.
“We are making great progress in modernizing the Federal workplace, and implementing reforms in how we hire our workforce is proving a strong step in that process,” said John Berry, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “President Obama was clear in his directive to fix the hiring process – to make it more efficient and effective – and we are doing just that. Thanks to the work of our staff, and that of the Chief Human Capital Officers from across our Federal agencies, we are making the process used to hire new employees easier for the applicant, and more efficient and cost-effective for our agencies.”
“In order to have a government that is responsive to people and the changing needs of our economy, we must bring the federal workforce into the 21st Century” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, whose own agency has used President Obama’s initiative to cut the time it takes to fill a position from a previous average of 145 days to an average of 76 days today. “Thanks to President Obama’s hiring reform package, HUD is making great progress as we work to further reduce the number of days it takes to fill a position and follow common practice by using resumes during initial recruitment.”
Federal representatives gathered at HUD to emphasize how agencies have implemented change to the benefit of the applicant, the Federal service, and the American public.
In May, President Obama issued a memorandum which directed Federal agencies to modernize how they hire. In his memo, President Obama directed agencies to reduce the time it takes to hire an applicant, begin accepting resumes, and simplify the hiring process overall. Over the next month, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget will begin reviewing the progress each individual Federal agency is making in implementing reforms in the hiring process.