United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-04-30 monographic deposited born digital 30 p. GA 1.13:GAO-08-630T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T P0b002ee18039f1e2 f:d08630t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T GAO-08-630T Early retirement Eligibility criteria Employee incentives Employee retention Federal agencies Federal employees Government employees Human capital management Human capital planning Knowledge, skills and abilities Labor force Labor shortages Older workers Personnel recruiting Retirement Retirement age Skilled labor Strategic planning Testimony A81927 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. We and others have emphasized the need to hire and retain older workers as one part of a comprehensive strategy to address expected labor shortages. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as the government's central personnel management agency, is responsible for helping agencies manage their human capital. The Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging asked GAO to discuss (1) the age and retirement eligibility trends of the current federal workforce, (2) the strategies federal agencies are using to hire and retain older workers, and (3) our observations on how these strategies position federal agencies to engage and retain older workers. To address these objectives, we analyzed demographic data from OPM's Central Personnel Data File, and interviewed officials at OPM and selected federal agencies. OPM is taking action to address past recommendations related to better assisting agencies in using personnel flexibilities. GAO is making no new recommendations at this time. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T.pdf GAO-08-630T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-630T Testimony GAO-08-630T; Older Workers: Federal Agencies Face Challenges, but Have Opportunities to Hire and Retain Experienced Employees; Early retirement Eligibility criteria Employee incentives Employee retention Federal agencies Federal employees Government employees Human capital management Human capital planning Knowledge, skills and abilities Labor force Labor shortages Older workers Personnel recruiting Retirement Retirement age Skilled labor Strategic planning Public Law 98-313 Public Law 101-576 Public Law 109-313