GAO praises government for progress on human capital management
Issue remains on watchdog’s high-risk list, but has improved substantially in the last decade, report says.
The Government Accountability Office still considers the federal government's stewardship of its 2.1-million-person workforce at high risk for mismanagement, but the watchdog agency said on Wednesday that Uncle Sam has made "substantial progress" in addressing human capital challenges.
GAO praised the Office of Personnel Management in particular for its attention to improving human capital planning, providing better guidance for agencies on management initiatives, and educating the workforce on available flexibilities, such as enhanced telework opportunities.
Issuing its 2011 list of federal programs at greatest risk for mismanagement on Wednesday, GAO said strategic human capital management initially made the infamous roster in 2001 because of a lack of leadership on the issue. More top-level attention has improved the government's workforce management, but "the area remains high risk because of a need to address current and emerging critical skills gaps that are undermining agencies' abilities to meet their vital missions," the report said.
GAO cited specific areas that pose problems for human capital management, including:
- The shortage of trained acquisition professionals at the Defense and Homeland Security departments, as well as trained technicians at the Federal Aviation Administration.
- A lack of staff at the State Department with foreign language skills in areas of geographic interest.
- Mediocre service to U.S. communities with limited proficiency in English.
- A growing shortage of veterinarians who oversee the slaughter and handling of livestock and poultry at agencies such as the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The report reserved the bulk of its criticism on human capital management for the Interior Department. GAO added a new high-risk area for the 2011 list -- Interior's management of federal oil and gas resources. Among other things, the report cited the lack of staff with the right mix of skills to process drilling permits and conduct inspections. GAO also noted the department's problems in recruiting and retaining talented oil and gas employees. But the watchdog pointed out that Interior already has taken several steps to address those and other challenges.
In fact, Interior is expanding its field of inspectors and engineers at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and plans to hire professionals to develop and conduct training programs. As for recruitment and retention efforts, a department spokesperson said Interior is working to provide employees incentives such as student loan repayment options and continuing education, but acknowledged that "we need to do more." The department also is looking at a special pay category for its more technical fields to close the salary gap between the public and private sectors in the industry.