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. ***