The most important asset of any organization is its people.  The hiring process lays the foundation for hiring the right people and directly impacts the quality of hires.  The flexibilities inherent in excepted service hiring help agencies meet their mission and organizational needs, and we have seen the use of excepted service hiring authorities steadily increase over the last 20 years.  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently conducted a special governmentwide study on excepted service hiring authorities and practices in the Executive Branch to identify patterns and trends in usage and to assess the effectiveness and compliance of related hiring practices. 

I am pleased to release the findings from our study in the attached report.  It provides analysis of how agencies have been using the various excepted service hiring authorities available to them, with a special emphasis on a selected group of ten authorities.  It also highlights notable practices, identifies knowledge gaps and compliance concerns, and provides recommendations for improving the effective and efficient use of excepted service hiring authorities.

If you have any questions about this report, please contact Ms. Ana A. Mazzi, Deputy Associate Director, Merit System Accountability and Compliance, at (202) 606-4309 or ana.mazzi@opm.gov.

Attachment (see 508-conformant PDF below)

cc:   Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers, and HR Directors