After downsizing, civilian workforce on the upswing

Most federal agencies project a slight increase in the number of full-time employees for 2001, according to President Clinton's proposed fiscal 2001 budget. The Defense Department, however, will see a 5.2 percent decrease in its workforce.

Of 20 major agencies, 15 report staff increases between 1999 and 2001. The total number of employees at non-Defense agencies will rise 1.8 percent from 1999 to 2001, the budget estimates.

For example, the Treasury Department will see a 4.1 percent increase in its workforce, a change National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley attributes to a reorganization of the Internal Revenue Service. "The IRS needs funding in order to support its reorganization" to enable the agency to provide better customer service, Kelley said. The Justice Department will see the largest increase over the two-year period, with more than 10,000 employees joining its ranks.

Though civilian agencies' ranks are on the upswing, the total federal civilian workforce will still be 18 percent smaller in 2001 than it was in 1993.

In 1999, Congress enacted legislation approving the Clinton administration's proposal for governmentwide early out authority, allowing agencies to offer voluntary early retirement to eligible employees. For fiscal 2001, the administration is seeking similar authority for buyouts.

Employment level by agency
(Full-Time Equivalents, in thousands)

Source: The President's Fiscal 2001 Budget