The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), during a government operations subcommittee of the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, said that it wants to work with Congress on developing a cyber workforce plan to compete for cyber talent.
OPM Director Kiran Ahuja said during the hearing that she would like OPM “to work with Congress to develop a government-wide cyber workforce plane that puts agencies on equal footing in competing for cyber talent.”
During the hearing, Ahuja also mentioned that Federal employees are moving to agencies with more telework-friendly offices.
“What we are seeing is agency-hopping, based on where employees see the level of flexibility,” Ahuja said during the hearing. “We don’t have agencies having to compete with each other for different employees within the federal government.”
Ahuja said it’s important to continue working with Federal agencies to provide telework options and policies for employees as a recruiting tool.
“In the year ahead, we look forward to providing agencies with additional resources— to help chart a path for what the future federal workforce looks like,” said Ahuja. “Agencies need additional tools to successfully manage performance in our new hybrid environment.”
Ahuja also highlighted three main ways OPM continues to work on being strong, strategic partners “to agencies and put the priorities, strategies, and goals of the [President’s Management Agenda] into action.” Those areas are:
- Promoting retention by making every Federal job a good job;
- Attracting much-needed talent to the Federal workforce; and
- Strengthening the workforce and preparing it for the demands of the future.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said during the committee that the Federal government must be more committed to getting strategic human capital management of the Federal workforce of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) High-Risk List. It has been on the list for 21 consecutive years.
“The workforce is the lifeblood of our Federal government. Without people committed to public service, taxpayers, vulnerable populations, small businesses, and others will not be able to get the resources and services they need,” said Connolly. “If we fail to attract and hire the best and brightest to federal service, our nation suffers.”
