	Background

NWS is the nation’s official and authoritative source for watches and  warnings during severe weather and is responsible for providing weather  and climate data and issuing forecasts and warnings for the protection of  life and property and enhancement of the national economy. Specifically, we determined that  across NWS’s 168 operational units, vacancies increased from about 5  percent (211 positions) at the end of fiscal year 2010, to about 11 percent  (455 positions) at the end of fiscal year 2016. The officials explained  that from fiscal years 2010 through 2016, NWS did not have resources to  support all of the positions included in its organizational table. To address this issue, NWS developed additional vacancy data that  factored in its available resources. Based on these data, the vacancy rate  across operational units was approximately 0.6 percent in fiscal year  2010 and increased to about 7 percent in fiscal year 2016. However, taking these steps, according to managers and staff, at times  led to their inability to complete other key tasks, such as providing severe  weather information support to state and local emergency managers. NWS Operational Unit Managers and Staff Reported Taking Steps to Help Ensure Forecasts and Warnings Were Issued in Light of Vacancies

Most NWS officials we interviewed indicated that vacancies in operational  units remained unfilled for extended periods, stretching from several  months to a few years. Operational unit managers we interviewed said that information on the  status of their hiring requests was critical to their ability to allocate  resources and manage work schedules. WFMO data for fiscal year 2016 show that the time it took to fill hiring  requests once they were selected for processing averaged 232 days  (around 8 months) and ranged from 64 to 467 days. According to federal standards for internal control, management should  internally communicate the necessary quality information to achieve the  entity’s objectives. The WFMO director said the Department of  Commerce plans to develop the new system, potentially in 2017, but the  design and capabilities have yet to be finalized. In the interim, without  access to complete and real-time information on the status of their  requests throughout the three phases of the hiring process, NWS  operational unit managers are limited in their ability to plan for and  distribute their unit’s workload in the most efficient and effective manner. Combining multiple hiring requests into a single job  announcement. NWS officials  said they believe the hiring actions to date have helped allow the agency  to streamline hiring but said they have not evaluated the actions. Conclusions

In light of vacancies that have increased since fiscal year 2010, NWS  operational managers and staff have taken several steps to help ensure  forecasts and warnings are issued. NWS intends to develop a strategic human  capital plan that may, in part, provide a framework for integrating and  evaluating the effectiveness of the various hiring actions, but officials do  not have a time frame for its development. In the interim, by evaluating  whether its actions are reducing the hiring backlog or achieving the goal  of sustaining a highly skilled workforce, NWS would have better  assurance that its actions were achieving expected results and could  better determine where to devote resources. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Secretary of Commerce take the following two  actions:  To enhance information available to operational unit managers, we  recommend that the Secretary of Commerce direct the director of NOAA’s  WFMO to ensure that complete information on hiring requests is routinely  communicated to NWS managers throughout the three phases of the  hiring process, such as by supporting the development of improved  tracking and reporting capabilities in the planned new Commerce-wide  data system. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to examine (1) information available on vacancies at  National Weather Service (NWS) operational units for fiscal years 2010  through 2016; (2) steps, if any, NWS operational unit management and  staff have taken to address the impact of vacancies at their units; (3) the  extent to which National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s  (NOAA) Workforce Management Office (WFMO) makes information  available to operational unit managers on the status of hiring requests;  and (4) the extent to which NOAA’s WFMO and NWS are taking actions  to address the hiring backlog at operational units. To examine the extent to which NOAA’s WFMO makes information  available to operational unit managers on the status of hiring requests  and the extent to which NOAA’s WFMO and NWS have taken actions to  address the hiring backlog at operational units, we examined  documentation regarding the process for hiring at NWS operational units,  as well as any actions NWS and WFMO have taken to address the hiring  backlog.
Why GAO Did This Study

NWS has the critical responsibility of issuing weather forecasts and warnings to help protect life and property, especially as severe weather unfolds. Most NWS operational units across the nation operate 24 hours every day to issue forecasts and warnings. NOAA's WFMO processes NWS hiring requests and other actions related to human capital.
GAO was asked to review vacancies and hiring at NWS operational units. This report examines (1) information available on vacancies at NWS operational units for fiscal years 2010 through 2016, (2) any steps NWS operational unit management and staff have taken to address the impact of vacancies at their units, (3) the extent to which NOAA's WFMO makes information available to managers on the status of hiring requests, and (4) the extent to which NOAA's WFMO and NWS are taking actions to address the hiring backlog at operational units. GAO analyzed available vacancy data for fiscal years 2010 through 2016 and assessed the data's reliability; examined relevant documentation and interviewed NOAA, WFMO, and NWS officials; and visited a nongeneralizable sample of nine units selected to reflect geographic diversity and varying vacancy levels.

What GAO Found

Available data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) indicate that the number of vacancies across its operational units has increased since fiscal year 2010. Specifically, agency data show that vacancies—unfilled positions at a point in time—increased from about 5 percent of the total number of positions at the end of fiscal year 2010 to about 11 percent in 2016. NWS officials reported that they did not have the resources to fill all of these vacancies and therefore developed additional data that factored in available resources. Based on these data, the vacancy rate across operational units was approximately 0.6 percent in fiscal year 2010 and increased to about 7 percent in fiscal year 2016.
NWS operational unit managers and staff GAO interviewed said they had taken several steps to address the impact of vacancies that remained unfilled for months, and in some cases, more than a year. These steps included managers and staff performing additional tasks to ensure forecasts and warnings were issued, staff adjusting their work and leave schedules, and managers requesting temporary staff from other units. However, taking these steps, according to managers and staff, at times led to their inability to complete other key tasks, such as providing severe weather information support to state and local emergency managers.
NOAA's Workforce Management Office (WFMO) makes limited information available to NWS managers on the status of their hiring requests. NWS managers said such information was critical for allocating resources and managing work, particularly in light of the length of the NWS hiring process. For example, agency data show that filling hiring requests selected for processing ranged from 64 to 467 days in fiscal year 2016. GAO found that complete information was often not available to managers, such as when the processing of a new hiring request was scheduled to begin. This is not consistent with federal internal control standards that call for management to communicate necessary quality information to achieve an entity's objectives. A WFMO official said the agency is working with the Department of Commerce to develop a new department-wide data system, potentially in 2017 that could provide improved tracking and reporting capabilities, but the design of the new system has not been finalized. In the interim, without complete information on the status of their requests, NWS operational unit managers are limited in their ability to plan for and distribute their unit's workload in the most efficient and effective manner.
NOAA's WFMO and NWS have taken some actions to help address NWS's hiring backlog. For example, NWS has combined job announcements for similar positions into one announcement. NWS officials said they believe such actions have allowed them to streamline hiring, but they have not evaluated the extent to which their actions have achieved expected results, consistent with federal internal control standards. NWS intends to develop a strategic human capital plan, which officials said could provide a framework for evaluating its hiring actions, but does not have a time frame for its development. In the interim, by evaluating whether its actions are reducing the hiring backlog, NWS would have better assurance that its actions were achieving expected results, and the agency could better determine where to devote resources.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that NOAA (1) ensure that complete information on hiring requests is routinely communicated to NWS managers and (2) evaluate whether NWS actions to reduce the hiring backlog are achieving expected results. NOAA agreed with GAO's recommendations.