Women and Minorities in the Career SES and the SES Developmental Pool Increased Governmentwide between 2000 and 2007, and Their Representation in the SES Increased in More Than Half of the Agencies

The data that we are reporting provide a demographic snapshot of the  career SES as well as the levels that serve as the SES developmental pool  for October 2000 and September 2007. As shown in table 2, the percentage of both women and minorities in the  SES increased in 15 of the 24 CFO Act agencies by 2007. In 2007, the representation of  women and minorities, both overall and in more than half of the individual  agencies, was higher than it was in October 2000. In our 2003 report, we (1) reviewed actual appointment trends from fiscal  years 1995 to 2000 and actual separation experience from fiscal years 1996  to 2000; (2) estimated by race, ethnicity, and gender the number of career  SES who would leave government service from October 1, 2000, through  October 1, 2007; and (3) projected what the profile of the SES would be if  appointment and separation trends did not change. Racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the SES is an  important component for the effective operation of the government. Minimal Changes Occurred in the Average Age at Appointment to and Retirement from the Career SES and in Targeted Disabilities among the Career SES between 2000 and 2007

Individuals do not typically enter the career SES until well into their  careers. As of the end of fiscal years 2000 and 2007, the average age of  women and minorities at the time of their appointment to the SES was  about age 50 and did not change dramatically over this 7-year period  except for certain groups, as shown in table 5. Similarly, the average age of women and minorities at the time of  retirement from the career SES did not change much between 2000 and  2007. In addition to examining the average age of individuals at the time of their  appointment to and retirement from the career SES, we analyzed the  length of time that a cohort of individuals served in the SES and  differences in length of service. Table 7 also shows that women stayed in the SES longer than men; women  who voluntarily retired stayed, on average, for 11.4 years, and men who  voluntarily retired stayed, on average, for 8.8 years. The average length of  service among minorities ranged from 4.1 years for Asian/Pacific Islander  women to 12 years for American Indian/Alaska Native men. We also reviewed the representation of career SES members who reported  having targeted disabilities. Processes Used for Selecting Career SES Members Are to Follow Competitive Merit Staffing Requirements

Executive branch agencies have processes for selecting members into the  career SES and developmental programs that are designed to create pools  of candidates for senior positions. ERBs review  the executive and technical qualifications of each eligible candidate and  make written recommendations to the appointing official concerning the  candidates. Candidates who are  selected must have their executive qualifications certified by an OPM- administered Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before being appointed  to the SES. We first identified SES and SES developmental pool data for 2000 in our 2003 report  (GAO-03-34), in which we excluded the FBI from the SES and the SES developmental pool because  that report contained projected SES and the SES developmental pool levels for the end of fiscal year  2007 based on separation and appointment data, and the FBI did not submit separation and  appointment data to the CPDF for 2000.
Why GAO Did This Study

A diverse Senior Executive Service (SES), which generally represents the most experienced segment of the federal workforce, can be an organizational strength by bringing a wider variety of perspectives and approaches to 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 and a statistically estimated projection of what the profile of the SES would be in October 2007 if appointment and separation trends did not change. In response to a request for updated information on the diversity in the SES, GAO is providing information from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Central Personnel Data File (1) on the representation of women and minorities in the SES and the SES developmental pool (i.e., GS-15 and GS-14 positions) for the executive branch as of fiscal year 2007 and comparing this representation to fiscal year 2000 levels and to levels GAO projected for October 2007 in its 2003 report; (2) for fiscal years 2000 and 2007, the average age at which women and minorities were appointed to and retired from the SES as well as information on those in the SES reporting targeted disabilities; and (3) on the overall processes used in executive branch agencies for selecting and certifying members into the SES.

What GAO Found

The representation of women and minorities in the SES and the SES developmental pool increased governmentwide from October 2000 through September 2007, but increases did not occur in all agencies. Over these 7 years, increases occurred in more than half of the 24 major executive branch agencies, but in both 2000 and 2007 the representation of women and minorities continued to vary significantly at those agencies. In 2003, we projected that increases would occur in the representation of women and minorities in the SES and SES developmental pool by 2007. These increases generally did occur. Looking beyond racial, ethnic, and gender profiles, GAO also reviewed the average age at appointment to and retirement from the career SES as well as the disability status reported by career SES employees for fiscal years 2000 and 2007. For the most part, career SES members were, on average, about age 50 at the time of their appointment to the SES and about age 60 at the time of their retirement. The average age at appointment to and retirement from the career SES generally did not vary much by race, ethnicity, or gender. GAO also calculated how long, on average, individuals served in the SES, and found that the length of their stay in the SES did vary. For example, women stayed in the SES longer than men; women who voluntarily retired stayed, on average, for 11.4 years, and men who voluntarily retired stayed, on average, for 8.8 years. The average length of service among minorities ranged from 4.1 years for Asian/Pacific Islander women to 12 years for American Indian/Alaska Native men. Governmentwide less than 1 percent of the career SES in 2000 and 2007 had self-reported targeted disabilities, and their representation declined slightly over this time. Executive branch agencies have established processes for selecting members into the SES and have developmental programs that are designed to create pools of candidates from which new members can be selected. These agencies use Executive Resources Boards to review the executive and technical qualifications of eligible candidates for initial SES career appointments and make recommendations based on the best qualified. An OPM-administered board reviews candidates' qualifications before appointment to the SES.