A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

I am pleased to present the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Fiscal Year 2001 Annual Report to Congress on the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP).  This report was prepared in compliance with the law (5 U.S.C. 7201 and 5 CFR Part 720, Subpart B).

 The FY 2001 FEORP report shows that minority employment in the Federal workforce increased during the last year (up by 9,490, which is significant in the context of overall workforce growth of only 12,310).  The Federal Government continued to be a leader in providing employment opportunities to minorities.  Indeed, statistics in this report indicate that all minority groups are better represented in the Federal workforce than in the civilian labor force (CLF), with one noteworthy exception.  Hispanic employment remains an area in which the Federal Government is not keeping pace with the CLF.  The FY 2001 FEORP report also shows that women are underrepresented in the Federal Government relative to the CLF.

 The President has conveyed both commitment and urgency when it comes to addressing the long-standing challenge of providing Hispanics with full access to public service.  Last fall, I convened the first meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government.  We will continue to use this Task Force to identify effective models for eliminating barriers to the recruitment and professional development of Hispanics at the agency level.

 The President's emphasis on strategic management of human capital in the Federal workforce is providing agencies with strong direction as well as important tools they can use to ensure that we have a diverse, high-quality workforce.  We are just beginning to receive reports from agencies that are integrating workforce planning with long-term recruitment strategies.  I am optimistic that we can look forward to further progress in the years ahead as agencies use their workforce analyses, and restructuring and succession planning plans to serve as a roadmap to create and develop a workforce that reflects the full talent of America.

I want to thank the dedicated staff of OPM's Office of Diversity for their hard work in drafting this report.  The report can be found on the OPM website, www.opm.gov/feorp01/.

Kay Coles James
Director