News Release

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James participated in a panel discussion on the steps needed to develop economic opportunities for African-Americans. The discussion, sponsored by the Senate Republican Conference and entitled Economic Development: Creating Jobs and Wealth, gave panel members a chance to voice not only what has been done, but what needs to be done to “level the playing field” for all to have a chance at the American dream.

During her opening remarks, James thanked the nearly 400 attendees for their focus on African-American employment and for helping achieve the positive results “the President expects.” And she cited the federal government as a source for career advancement.

“If I have one message for you to take back to your communities, it is this: The federal government is ‘where the jobs are.’ On any given day, OPM posts over 15,000 federal jobs on the USAJOBS web site, and we have more openings every day. But most importantly, we have a President who is committed to draw on the talent of men and women of all races and from all walks of life for public service.”

A major positive reported by James included the fact that African-Americans are better represented in the federal work force (17.6 percent) than they are in the civilian labor force (11.3 percent).

However, despite the positive strides, James reminded the representatives that there is “much more work to be done,” and that “one of the things I think we have to keep in mind is that we are going to have to work harder and harder to get the best and brightest into public service. In the old days, the federal government was one of the few places African American could get a fair chance at a job. Today, top candidates are being heavily courted from all sectors.”

Some of the steps that OPM plans to take to ensure that the federal government remains diverse include new efforts to reach out to and partner with HBCUs, and the revamping of the Presidential Management Intern Program, the government's premier program for recruiting and developing leadership talent. Recently, James, along with Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), unveiled the governmentwide Candidate Development and Executive Readiness programs to attract, recruit and train minorities and women to serve in the senior ranks of government. Information on the OPM programs may be found at http://www.opm.gov/ses/candevprg.html and www.opm.gov.

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OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.

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