[Analytical Perspectives]
[Special Analyses and Presentations]
[10. Federal Employment]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]
This section provides data on civilian and military employment, as
well as personnel compensation and benefits, in the Executive Branch,
the Legislative Branch and the Judiciary. A comparison of Federal
employment levels, State and local government employment, and the United
States population appears in the Historical Tables. Additional tables on
civilian employment reductions in Executive Branch agencies appears in
the Budget volume.
Total Federal Employment in the Executive Branch
Civilian employment in the Executive Branch is measured on the basis
of full-time equivalents (FTEs). One FTE is equal to one work year or
2,080 non-overtime hours. Put simply, one full-time employee counts as
one FTE, and two half-time employees also count as one FTE.
The Federal Workforce Restructuring Act (FWRA) of 1994 (P.L. 103-226)
was enacted March 30, 1994. The Act provided agencies with authority to
offer voluntary separation incentive payments (``VSIPs'' or ``buyouts'')
to aid in their downsizing and restructuring activities and established
FTE limitations (``ceilings'') for the Executive Branch through 1999.
The 1997 budget continues the implementation of the reductions pursuant
to the Act. The limitations established by the Act are as follows:
1994-2,084,600
1995-2,043,300
1996-2,003,300
1997-1,963,300
1998-1,922,300
1999-1,882,300
The starting point used to calculate FTE reductions required by the
FWRA is called the 1993 base--the estimate of FTEs for 1993 made in
January of that year. As shown in Table 10-1, a total reduction of
244,700 FTEs or 11.3 percent from the 1993 base is anticipated in 1997.
The budgeted 1997 FTE level of 1,904,600 (subject to ceiling) is more
than 58,000 FTEs lower than the limitation required by law.
Allocations of FTE resources by agency are made based upon
Presidential priorities and other factors. Thus, while many of the
agencies in Table 10-1 show FTE reductions from 1993-1997, some
agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, show an increase in FTEs.
Total Federal Employment Levels
The tables that follow show total Federal employment in all branches
of Government, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate
Commission, and active duty uniformed military personnel. Table 10-2
displays total Federal employment as measured by actual positions filled
at the end of the fiscal year. Table 10-3 shows total Federal employment
as measured on an FTE basis.
Personnel Compensation and Benefits
Table 10-4 displays personnel compensation and benefits for all
branches of Government, as well as for military personnel.
Direct compensation of the Federal work force includes base pay and
premium pay, such as overtime. In addition, it includes other cash
components, such as geographic pay differentials (i.e., locality pay,
interim geographic adjustments, special pay adjustments for law
enforcement officers), recruitment and relocation bonuses, retention
allowances, performance awards, and cost-of-living and overseas
allowances.
In the case of military personnel, compensation includes basic pay,
special and incentive pay (including enlistment and reenlistment
bonuses), and allowances for clothing, housing, and subsistence.
Related compensation in the form of personnel benefits for current and
former personnel consists primarily of the Government's share (as an
employer) of health insurance, life insurance, old age survivors'
disability and health insurance, and payments to the Department of
Defense's Military Retirement Fund, the Civil Service Retirement and
Disability Fund, and the Federal Employees Retirement System to finance
future retirement benefits.
[[Page 180]]
Table 10-1. FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
(Civilian employment as measured by Full-Time Equivalents, in thousands)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actual Estimate Change: 1993 base
1993 -------------------------------------------------- to 1997
Agency Base -------------------
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 FTE's Percent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cabinet agencies:
Agriculture................... 115.6 114.4 109.8 103.8 105.5 104.6 -11.1 -9.5%
Commerce...................... 36.7 36.1 36.0 35.3 35.2 35.5 -1.2 -3.3%
Defense--military functions... 931.3 931.8 868.3 821.7 800.0 767.4 -163.9 -17.6%
Education..................... 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.6 -0.4 -8.1%
Energy........................ 20.6 20.3 19.8 19.7 19.7 18.5 -2.1 -10.3%
Health and Human
Services\1\\2\............... 64.5 65.6 62.4 59.0 58.5 58.9 -5.6 -8.6%
Health and Human Services,
exempt FTEs.................. 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 -0.1 -28.7%
Social Security
Administration\2\............ 65.4 64.8 64.5 64.6 64.8 64.8 -0.6 -0.9%
Housing and Urban Development. 13.6 13.3 13.1 12.1 11.9 11.4 -2.2 -16.4%
Interior...................... 79.3 78.1 76.3 72.0 70.5 72.2 -7.2 -9.0%
Justice....................... 99.4 95.4 95.3 97.9 106.3 112.5 13.1 13.1%
Labor......................... 18.3 18.0 17.5 16.8 16.7 17.1 -1.3 -6.8%
State......................... 26.0 25.6 25.2 23.9 23.7 23.5 -2.5 -9.7%
Transportation................ 70.3 69.1 66.4 63.2 63.9 63.9 -6.5 -9.1%
Treasury...................... 166.1 161.1 157.3 157.5 153.3 156.8 -9.3 -5.6%
Veterans Affairs\1\........... 227.0 229.1 227.8 223.1 218.2 217.3 -9.7 -4.2%
Veterans Affairs, exempt FTEs. 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.5 0.2 3.3%
Other agencies (excluding Postal
Service):
Agency for International
Development\1\............... 4.4 4.1 3.9 3.6 3.4 3.1 -1.3 -29.2%
Agency for International
Development, exempt FTEs..... ........ ........ * * * * ........ ........
Corps of Engineers............ 29.2 28.4 27.9 27.7 27.6 27.2 -2.0 -6.8%
Environmental Protection
Agency....................... 18.6 17.9 17.6 17.5 18.1 18.0 -0.6 -3.3%
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission................... 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.0 0.2 5.8%
Federal Emergency Management
Agency....................... 2.7 4.0 4.9 4.6 3.9 4.0 1.2 43.8%
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp./Resolution Trust Corp.. 21.6 21.9 20.0 15.7 12.8 9.2 -12.3 -57.1%
General Services
Administration............... 20.6 20.2 19.5 17.0 16.2 14.8 -5.9 -28.4%
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration............... 25.7 24.9 23.9 22.4 21.8 21.2 -4.5 -17.5%
National Archives and Records
Administration............... 2.8 2.6 2.6 2.4 2.5 2.5 -0.2 -8.5%
National Labor Relations Board 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 -0.1 -4.8%
National Science Foundation... 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 -0.1 -6.2%
Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 -0.3 -8.3%
Office of Personnel Management 6.2 5.9 5.3 4.2 4.0 3.6 -2.7 -42.7%
Panama Canal Commission....... 8.7 8.5 8.5 8.8 9.0 9.1 0.4 4.8%
Peace Corps................... 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 -0.1 -3.4%
Railroad Retirement Board..... 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 -0.4 -24.0%
Securities and Exchange
Commission................... 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 -0.1 -2.2%
Small Business Administration. 4.0 5.6 6.3 5.7 4.3 4.2 0.2 5.2%
Smithsonian Institution....... 5.9 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.3 -0.6 -10.4%
Tennessee Valley Authority.... 19.1 17.3 18.6 16.7 16.4 16.4 -2.7 -14.1%
United States Information
Agency....................... 8.7 8.3 8.1 7.7 7.3 7.1 -1.6 -18.6%
All other small agencies...... 16.1 15.4 15.0 15.1 14.8 14.8 -1.3 -8.3%
Allowance for welfare
reform\3\.................... ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ 0.5 0.5 100.0%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total, Executive Branch civilian
employment..................... 2,155.2 2,138.8 2,052.7 1,970.2 1,940.8 1,910.5 -244.7 -11.3%
Total, Defense................. 931.3 931.8 868.3 821.7 800.0 767.4 -163.9 -17.6%
Total, Non-Defense............. 1,223.9 1,207.1 1,184.4 1,148.4 1,140.8 1,143.1 -80.8 -6.3%
FTEs exempt from Ceiling....... ........ ........ 5.8 5.7 5.9 5.9 ........ ........
Total, Executive Branch subject
to Ceiling..................... ........ ........ 2,047.0 1,964.4 1,934.9 1,904.6 ........ ........
FTE Ceiling\4\.................. ........ ........ 2,084.6 2,043.3 2,003.3 1,963.3 ........ ........
===============================================================================
Total FTE reduction from the
1993 base.................... ........ -16.4 -102.5 -185.0 -214.4 -244.7 ........ ........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Less than 50 FTEs.
\1\The Departments of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and the Agency for International Development
have components that are exempt from FTE controls.
\2\The Social Security Administration became a separate agency, no longer part of Health and Human Services, on
March 31, 1995.
\3\This allowance is for an estimated 500 FTEs for the Social Security Administration to conduct additional
continuing disability reviews.
\4\FTE limitations are set for the Executive Branch in the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-
226).
Table 10-2. TOTAL FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT
(As measured by total positions filled)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actual as of September 30 Change: 1993 to 1995
Description -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 1994 1995 Positions Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 181]]
Executive branch civilian employment:
All agencies except Postal Service and Postal Rate Commission:
Full-time permanent................................................... 1,892,290 1,831,671 1,767,460 -124,830 -6.6%
Other than full-time permanent\1\..................................... 264,500 253,767 244,463 -20,037 -7.6%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal............................................................ 2,156,790 2,085,438 2,011,923 -144,867 -6.7%
=============================================================================
Postal Service:\2\
Full-time permanent..................................................... 623,088 634,878 647,269 24,181 3.9%
Other than full-time permanent.......................................... 167,252 187,876 198,179 30,927 18.5%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal............................................................... 790,340 822,754 845,448 55,108 7.0%
=============================================================================
Subtotal, executive branch civilian employment.......................... 2,947,130 2,908,192 2,857,371 -89,759 -3.0%
=============================================================================
Military personnel on active duty:\3\
Department of Defense................................................... 1,705,103 1,610,490 1,518,224 -186,879 -11.0%
Department of Transportation (Coast Guard).............................. 39,234 37,474 36,731 -2,503 -6.4%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, military personnel........................................... 1,744,337 1,647,964 1,554,955 -189,382 -10.9%
=============================================================================
Subtotal, Executive Branch.......................................... 4,691,467 4,556,156 4,412,326 -279,141 -5.9%
=============================================================================
Legislative branch:
Full-time permanent..................................................... 16,460 15,066 14,603 -1,857 -11.3%
Other than full-time permanent.......................................... 21,798 20,291 18,764 -3,034 -13.9%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Legislative Branch........................................... 38,258 35,357 33,367 -4,891 -12.8%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judicial Branch:
Full-time permanent..................................................... 25,900 25,907 26,555 655 2.5%
Other than full-time permanent.......................................... 2,220 2,128 2,438 218 9.8%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Judicial Branch.............................................. 28,120 28,035 28,993 873 3.1%
=============================================================================
Grand total............................................................... 4,757,845 4,619,548 4,474,686 -283,159 -6.0%
=============================================================================
ADDENDUM
Executive branch civilian personnel (excluding Postal Service):
DOD-Military functions\4\............................................... 890,628 850,137 831,806 -58,822 -6.6%
All other executive branch.............................................. 1,266,162 1,235,301 1,208,101 -58,061 -4.6%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total\5\............................................................... 2,156,790 2,085,438 2,039,907 -116,883 -5.4%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Includes Summer Aides, Stay-in-school, Junior Fellowship, Worker-Trainee Opportunity Program, formerly exempt from employment controls.
\2\Includes Postal Rate Commission.
\3\Excludes reserve components.
\4\Excludes Defense Intelligence Agency.
\5\Includes disadvantaged youth programs.
Table 10-3. TOTAL FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT
(As measured by Full-Time Equivalents)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimate Change: 1995 to 1997
Description 1995 actual ------------------------------------------------------------
1996 1997 FTE's Percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 182]]
Executive branch civilian personnel:
All agencies except Postal Service and Defense.................................................................... 1,148,441 1,140,787 1,143,119 -5,322 -0.5%
Defense-Military functions (civilians)............................................................................ 821,739 800,008 767,417 -54,322 -6.6%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, excluding Postal Service.............................................................................. 1,970,180 1,940,795 1,910,536 -59,644 -3.0%
Postal Service\1\................................................................................................. 806,243 822,885 835,084 28,841 3.6%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Executive Branch civilian personnel................................................................... 2,776,423 2,763,680 2,745,620 -30,803 -1.1%
===========================================================================
Executive branch uniformed personnel:\2\
Department of Defense............................................................................................. 1,564,393 1,499,785 1,468,995 -95,398 -6.1%
Department of Transportation (Coast Guard)........................................................................ 37,311 37,297 36,746 -565 -1.5%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, uniformed military personnel.......................................................................... 1,601,704 1,537,082 1,505,741 -95,963 -6.0%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Executive Branch...................................................................................... 4,378,127 4,300,762 4,251,361 -126,766 -2.9%
===========================================================================
Legislative Branch:\3\ Total FTE.................................................................................... 33,456 32,543 32,218 -1,238 -3.7%
===========================================================================
Judicial branch: Total FTE.......................................................................................... 27,903 29,724 31,071 3,168 11.4%
===========================================================================
Grand total..................................................................................................... 4,439,486 4,363,029 4,314,650 -124,836 -2.8%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Includes Postal Rate Commission.
\2\Military personnel on active duty. Excludes reserve components. Data shown are average strength.
\3\Actual 1995 FTE data not available for legislative branch. Data shown are estimates.
TABLE 10-4. PERSONNEL COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
(In millions of dollars)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimate Change: 1995 to 1997
Description 1995 actual -----------------------------------------------------------
1996 1997 Dollars Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 183]]
Civilian personnel costs:
Executive Branch (excluding Postal Service):
Direct compensation:
DOD--military functions............................................... 32,919 33,230 32,872 -47 -0.1%
All other executive branch............................................ 51,309 52,653 54,196 2,887 5.6%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, direct compensation....................................... 84,228 85,883 87,068 2,840 3.4%
Personnel benefits:
DOD--military functions............................................... 7,175 7,209 7,207 32 0.4%
All other executive branch\1\......................................... 19,774 20,269 21,121 1,347 6.8%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, personnel benefits........................................ 26,949 27,478 28,328 1,379 5.1%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, executive branch........................................ 111,177 113,361 115,396 4,219 3.8%
===========================================================================
Postal Service:
Direct compensation..................................................... 32,157 33,126 34,643 2,486 7.7%
Personnel benefits...................................................... 8,632 9,593 10,020 1,388 16.1%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal.............................................................. 40,789 42,719 44,663 3,874 9.5%
===========================================================================
Legislative Branch:\2\
Direct compensation..................................................... 777 744 759 -18 -2.3%
Personnel benefits...................................................... 148 149 152 4 2.7%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal.............................................................. 925 893 911 -14 -1.5%
Judicial Branch:
Direct compensation..................................................... 1,335 1,512 1,613 278 20.8%
Personnel benefits...................................................... 319 361 394 75 23.5%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal.............................................................. 1,654 1,873 2,007 353 21.3%
Total, civilian personnel costs....................................... 154,545 158,846 162,977 8,432 5.5%
===========================================================================
Military personnel costs:
DOD--Military Functions:
Direct compensation..................................................... 49,770 48,728 48,403 -1,367 -2.7%
Personnel benefits...................................................... 19,583 18,112 18,329 -1,254 -6.4%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal.............................................................. 69,353 66,840 66,732 -2,621 -3.8%
All other executive branch, uniformed personnel:
Direct compensation....................................................... 1,162 1,160 1,174 12 1.0%
Personnel benefits........................................................ 110 110 113 3 2.7%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal.............................................................. 1,272 1,270 1,287 15 1.2%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total, military personnel costs\3\...................................... 70,625 68,110 68,019 -2,606 -3.7%
===========================================================================
Grand total, personnel costs................................................ 225,170 226,956 230,996 5,826 2.6%
===========================================================================
ADDENDUM
Former Civilian Personnel:
Retired pay for former personnel......................................... 39,224 40,549 42,482 3,258 8.3%
Government payment for Annuitants:
Employee health benefits.............................................. 3,813 3,910 4,187 374 9.8%
Employee life insurance.............................................. 22 28 33 11 50.0%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Former Civilian Personnel......................................... 43,059 44,487 46,702 3,643 8.5%
Former Military personnel:
Retired pay for former personnel.......................................... 29,143 29,087 30,297 1,154 4.0%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\In addition to the employing agency's contribution to the costs of life and health insurance, retirement and Medicare Hospital insurance, this amount
includes transfers from general revenues to amortize the effects of general pay increases on Federal retirement systems for employees in the
Legislative and Judicial Branches as well as employees (non-Postal) in the Executive Branch and to amortize supplemental liabilities under FERS. The
transfers amounted to $7,488 million in 1995 and are estimated to be $7,717 million in 1996 and $7,989 million in 1997.
\2\Excludes members and officers of Congress.
\3\Excludes reserve components.