A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050

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Moreover, for a government to effectively representthe citizens it serves and who pay for it,the government must look like its citizens.In short, the federal government must reaffirmits leadership in ensuring fair hiring andexpanding opportunities for people of colorand women. More than just the “right thing todo,” a more diverse workforce will lead to bettergovernment through greater efficiencies, moreinnovation, and better effectiveness.The federal government’s diversity is not anew concern. The Government AccountabilityOffice, Office of Personnel Management,and the Equal Employment OpportunityCommission all commit significant time andresources to identifying the challenge andimproving the federal government’s performance.Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) andRep. Danny Davis (D-IL) have introducedlegislation to encourage improvement. Andother groups, such as the National HispanicLeadership Agenda, push for better representationat all levels of the bureaucracy.The Obama administration has demonstrateda strong commitment to addressing diversity.A recently published executive order seeks toimprove the diversity of the federal workforce. 4This is a welcome step and a foundation forimplementing the recommendations in thisreport. The executive order promises a government-widestrategic plan to promote diversityand inclusion by mid-November.Figure 3Mind the Relentless GapThe minority percentage of the Senior Executive Service thatwon’t match that of the civilian labor forceIn Percent50403020100Labor ForceMinorities2010 2020 2030Source: Office of Personnel Management, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CAP ProjectionsFigure 4A Man’s Senior Executive Service?Not for long, but not soon enoughIn Percent100806040200Source: Office of Personnel Management, CAP Projections.MenWomen2000 2010 2020 2030We believe that plan should place a strong emphasis on increasing the ethnic,racial, and gender diversity of the career Senior Executive Service. And giventhe findings of this report, the top priority should be to address Hispanic representationin the most senior ranks of federal agencies. 5 Specifically, the government-wideplan should:3 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050
• Set an objective to close the diversity gap for the Senior Executive Service by2030 so that representation of women and all ethnic and racial groups reflectstheir likely representation in the civilian labor force. Such approaches have beensuccessful in the private sector and abroad.• Set out interim milestones on the progress that should be made across executivebranch agencies every four years commencing with 2015 in terms ofrepresentation of women and different ethnic and racial groups.• Embark on a special initiative to increase the representation of Hispanics in theSenior Executive Service, including by creating a database of talented Hispanicswho can be headhunted into key roles in federal government.• Establish a new sub-commitee of the President’s Management Council chairedby a Deputy Secretary which is responsible for overseeing work on diversity.• Conduct a study within one year that better identifies the reasons for the diversitygap in the Senior Executive Service by analyzing data on the application, success,and promotion rates of women and different ethnic and racial groups, and benchmarkingfederal government against leading private-sector employers.In addition, the recent executive order requires the major executive branch agenciesto develop agency-specific diversity and inclusion plans. These plans are dueby March 2012. We recommend that they include:• Agency-specific objectives to close the diversity gap in the Senior ExecutiveService by 2030, including interim milestones for 2015 and every four yearsthereafter. Each agency should set its own objectives taking account of the currentlevel of representation, the likely turnover in its most senior ranks over thecoming years, and the type of work the agency performs. Agencies should alsoconsider setting objectives for representation in key feeder grades, as increasingdiversity in these grades will be key to making progress.• Initiatives to strengthen the applicant pool for Senior Executive Service posts,for example, by seeking to attract the most talented minority and womenapplicants from inside and outside government for SES vacancies and for keyvacancies at the so-called “feeder grades” of the GS-13, GS-14, and GS-15 civilservant rankings. These initiatives should have a special focus on Hispanics.4 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050
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