Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and the Senior Levels
of the U.S. Postal Service (10-MAY-07, GAO-07-838T).
The Senior Executive Service (SES) generally represents the most
experienced and senior segment of the federal workforce. Having a
diverse SES corps can be an organizational strength that
contributes to the achievement of results by bringing a wider
variety of perspectives and approaches to bear on policy
development and implementation, strategic planning, problem
solving, and decision making. In a January 2003 report
(GAO-03-34), GAO provided data on career SES members by race,
ethnicity, and gender as of October 2000. In March 2000, we
reported similar data for the Postal Career Executive Service as
of September 1999 (GAO/GGD-00-76). In response to a request for
updated information on diversity in the top levels of government,
GAO is providing information obtained from the Office of
Personnel Management's Civilian Personnel Data File and the
Postal Service on the representation of women and minorities in
(1) the federal government's career SES, (2) the developmental
pools from which the vast majority of potential successors for
career senior level positions will come (i.e., GS-14 and GS-15),
(3) the Postal Service's career officer and senior executive
positions in the Postal Career Executive Service, and (4) the
developmental pool of potential successors for senior level
Postal Service positions as of the end of fiscal year 2006.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-07-838T
ACCNO: A69449
TITLE: Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and the
Senior Levels of the U.S. Postal Service
DATE: 05/10/2007
SUBJECT: Employment of minorities
Evaluation methods
Executive agencies
Federal employees
Human capital management
Human capital planning
Minorities
Personnel management
Retirement
Strategic planning
Succession planning
Women
Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment
Program
Senior Executive Service
USPS Postal Career Executive Service
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GAO-07-838T
* [1]Contacts and Acknowledgments
* [2]GAO's Mission
* [3]Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony
* [4]Order by Mail or Phone
* [5]To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs
* [6]Congressional Relations
* [7]Public Affairs
* [8]enclosure 1.pdf
* [9]Equal employment opportunity (EEO) group
* [10]Totala
* [11]Minorities
* [12]Men
* [13]Minority men
* [14]Women
* [15]EEO group
* [16]Totala
* [17]Minorities
* [18]Men
* [19]Minority men
* [20]Women
* [21]EEO group
* [22]Totala
* [23]Minorities
* [24]Men
* [25]Minority men
* [26]Women
* [27]EEO group
* [28]Totala
* [29]Minorities
* [30]Men
* [31]Minority men
* [32]Women
* [33]EEO group
* [34]Totala
* [35]Minorities
* [36]Men
* [37]Minority men
* [38]Women
* [39]EEO group
* [40]Totala
* [41]Minorities
* [42]Men
* [43]Minority men
* [44]Women
* [45]EEO group
* [46]Totala
* [47]Minorities
* [48]Men
* [49]Minority men
* [50]Women
* [51]EEO group
* [52]Totala
* [53]Minorities
* [54]Men
* [55]Minority men
* [56]Women
* [57]EEO group
* [58]Totala
* [59]Minorities
* [60]Men
* [61]Minority men
* [62]Women
* [63]EEO group
* [64]Totala
* [65]Minorities
* [66]Men
* [67]Minority men
* [68]Women
* [69]EEO group
* [70]Totala
* [71]Minorities
* [72]Men
* [73]Minority men
* [74]Women
* [75]EEO group
* [76]Totala
* [77]Minorities
* [78]Men
* [79]Minority men
* [80]Women
* [81]EEO group
* [82]Totala
* [83]Minorities
* [84]Men
* [85]Minority men
* [86]Women
* [87]EEO group
* [88]Totala
* [89]Minorities
* [90]Men
* [91]Minority men
* [92]Women
* [93]EEO group
* [94]Totala
* [95]Minorities
* [96]Men
* [97]Minority men
* [98]Women
* [99]EEO group
* [100]Totala
* [101]Minorities
* [102]Men
* [103]Minority men
* [104]Women
* [105]EEO group
* [106]Totala
* [107]Minorities
* [108]Men
* [109]Minority men
* [110]Women
* [111]EEO group
* [112]Totala
* [113]Minorities
* [114]Men
* [115]Minority men
* [116]Women
* [117]EEO group
* [118]Totala
* [119]Minorities
* [120]Men
* [121]Minority men
* [122]Women
* [123]EEO group
* [124]Totala
* [125]Minorities
* [126]Men
* [127]Minority men
* [128]Women
* [129]EEO group
* [130]Totala
* [131]Minorities
* [132]Men
* [133]Minority men
* [134]Women
* [135]EEO group
* [136]Totala
* [137]Minorities
* [138]Men
* [139]Minority men
* [140]Women
* [141]EEO group
* [142]Totala
* [143]Minorities
* [144]Men
* [145]Minority men
* [146]Women
* [147]EEO group
* [148]Totala
* [149]Minorities
* [150]Men
* [151]Minority men
* [152]Women
* [153]EEO group
* [154]S
* [155]G
* [156]G
* [157]O
* [158]S
* [159]O
* [160]S
* [161]O
* [162]S
* [163]Totala
* [164]Minorities
* [165]Men
* [166]Minority men
* [167]Women
* [168]enclosure 2.pdf
* [169]EEO group
* [170]P
* [171]E
* [172]l
* [173]O
* [174]E
* [175]E
* [176]S
* [177]S
* [178]S
* [179]S
* [180]S
* [181]S
* [182]Totald
* [183]Minorities
* [184]Men
* [185]Minority men
* [186]Women
United States Government Accountability Office
Testimony
GAO
Before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the
District of Columbia, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House
of Representatives
For Release on Delivery HUMAN CAPITAL
Expected at 2:00 p.m. EST
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Diversity in the Federal SES and the Senior
Levels of the
U.S. Postal Service
Statement of George H. Stalcup, Director
Strategic Issues
GAO-07-838T
HUMAN CAPITAL
Diversity in the Federal SES and the Senior Levels of the U.S. Postal Service
What GAO Found
Data in the Civilian Personnel Data File and provided by the U.S. Postal
Service show that as of the end of fiscal year 2006, the overall
percentages of women and minorities have increased since 2000 in both the
federal career SES and the developmental pool for potential successors and
the Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) and the developmental pool of
potential successors (EAS levels 22 and above) since 1999.
Governmentwide October 2000 September 2006
Number Percent Number Percent
Women Minorities Women Minorities
SES 6,110 23.6 13.8 6,349 28.4 15.9
SES potential 135,012 28.2 17.0 160,573 32.8 21.0
developmental pool
(GS-14s and GS-15s)
Source: GAO analysis of the Office of Personnel Management's Central Personnel
Data File.
U.S. Postal September 1999 September 2006
Service Number Percent Number Percent
Women Minorities Women Minorities
PCES 854 20.1 20.8 768 28.6 25.5
PCES potential 8,955 22.7 25.3 8,606 30.9 29.1
developmental pool
Source: GAO analysis of Postal Service data.
As we have testified, the federal government is facing new and more
complex challenges in the 21^st century because of long-term fiscal
constraints, changing demographics, and other factors. SES members are
critical to providing the strategic leadership needed to effectively meet
these challenges. Racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the federal
government's senior ranks can be a key organizational component for
executing agency missions, ensuring accountability to the American people
in the administration and operation of federal programs, and achieving
results.
SES retirement eligibility is much higher than the workforce in general,
and a significant number of SES retirements could result in a loss of
leadership continuity, institutional knowledge, and expertise among the
SES corps. In fact, OPM estimates that 90 percent of federal executives
will be eligible for retirement over the next 10 years, and the Postal
Service expects nearly half of its executives to retire within 5 years.
This underscores the need for effective succession planning. Succession
planning also is tied to the federal government's opportunity to affect
SES diversity through new appointments. Gaining insight into diversity in
the federal government's senior leadership and developmental pools and
factors affecting them is important to developing and maintaining a
high-quality and inclusive workforce.
United States Government Accountability Office
*** End of document. ***