A report to the United States Congress says Federal Agencies are using special, quicker mechanisms to hire a growing proportion of their workforces.
The report says this leaves in question processes embedded in Public Service laws to ensure fairness and equity in the Government on-boarding process.
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSBP) report said Agencies in 2018 used direct hiring authority for 27 per cent of all new employees on-boarded through a competitive process, up from about five per cent just 10 years earlier.
Congress authorised the special mechanism in 2002 for positions with critical needs or severe shortages; it allows Agencies receiving approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to skip the typically required formal rating of applicants and use of veterans’ preference.
Typically, Agencies request direct hiring authority for certain positions from the OPM, but the human resources Agency can also issue Government-wide pre-approval for specific job categories.
Pre-approval is currently in effect for cyber-security, medical, IT, Iraqi reconstruction, veterinary medical officers and positions related to science, technical, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Agencies on-boarded nearly 30,000 employees using direct hiring in fiscal 2018, the most recent data the MSPB had available, a 460 per cent increase from a decade prior.
“This rapid growth is a clear indicator of frustration with the results of current competitive service hiring procedures,” the MSPB report said.
The average time-to-hire in the Federal Government was 106 days as of fiscal 2017, having increased for five consecutive years.
In addition to speedier hiring, Federal human resources personnel said advantages of the initiative included more targeted recruiting, more satisfied employees and at least comparable results in terms of race, gender and ethnicity.
A key difference between regular and direct hiring is a diminished emphasis on the hiring of former military personnel, who typically receive preference in the regular recruiting process.
Veterans made up just 22 per cent of direct hires between fiscal years 2014 and 2018, compared to 50 per cent of all other competitive hires.
Washington, 10 February 2021
