In FY 2004, the Federal Government had a permanent work force of 2,606,903 individuals compared to 2,857,900 in FY 1995.(2) Table 1 shows the participation rate of the identified groups below, as compared to the civilian labor force (CLF):
| Work Force | Participation Rate | 2000 CLF | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2004 | FY 1995 % | FY 2004 % | % | |
| Men | 1,488,520 | 58.47 | 57.10 | 53.20 |
| Women | 1,118,383 | 41.53 | 42.90 | 46.80 |
| Hispanic Males | 116,693 | 3.78 | 4.48 | 6.20 |
| Hispanic Females | 77,705 | 2.33 | 2.98 | 4.50 |
| White Males | 1,061,384 | 43.28 | 40.71 | 39.00 |
| White Females | 682,816 | 26.38 | 26.19 | 33.70 |
| Black Males | 203,701 | 8.05 | 7.81 | 4.80 |
| Black Females | 270,243 | 10.29 | 10.37 | 5.80 |
| Asian American/Pacific Islander Males | 86,582 | 2.67 | 3.32 | 2.10 |
| Asian American/Pacific IslanderFemales | 64,238 | 1.83 | 2.46 | 1.90 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native Males | 20,160 | 0.68 | 0.77 | 0.50 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native Females | 23,381 | 0.70 | 0.90 | 0.50 |
For the first time, this report breaks out the employment data for specific components of certain large federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans' Affairs, as well as certain defense agencies, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Postal Service.
A comparison of the data on the participation rates of persons in particular agency components can serve as a diagnostic tool to help identify possible areas where barriers to equal opportunity may exist within an agency. This information is located in Table XII of Appendix IV located at www.eeoc.gov.
- Senior Pay Levels
EEO Program Tips
To ensure a discrimination-free work environment, agencies should:
- Identify possible barriers using a variety of sources
- Investigate to pinpoint actual barriers and causes
- Develop plans to address barrier causes
- Assess success of plan
- Adjust plan where necessary
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 established the Senior Executive Service (SES) as a separate personnel system covering a majority of the top managerial, supervisory, and policy-making positions in the Executive Branch of government. Senior Pay Level (SPL) positions include the SES, Executive Schedule, Senior Foreign Service, and other employees earning salaries above grade 15 in the General Schedule. The SPL represents 1.47% of the total federal General Schedule work force. Table 2 below reflects the SPL representation.
Table 2 - Senior Pay Level Representation FY 1995 / FY 2004 Senior Pay Level Postions FY 1995 FY 2004 Number % of SPL Number % of SPL Men 11,119 81.54 14,196 74.25 Women 2,517 18.46 4,921 25.75 Hispanics 335 2.46 656 3.43 Whites 12,176 89.29 16,457 86.08 Blacks 834 6.12 1,243 6.50 Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders 212 1.55 607 3.17 American Indians/Alaskan Natives 79 0.58 154 0.80 Individuals with Targeted Disabilities 59 0.43 84 0.44 - Between FY 1995 and FY 2004, the representation rate for individuals with targeted disabilities in SPL positions remained essentially unchanged. There was a slight increase in the representation rate for Blacks and Hispanics and a modest increase in the representation rate for American Indians/Alaskan Natives. The representation rate for women increased from 18.46% to 25.74%, while the rate for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders more than doubled, from 1.55% to 3.17%
- In FY 2004 the "feeder grades" to SPL positions(4) (GS grades 14 and 15), showed that men comprised 68.86%; women comprised 31.14%; Hispanics comprised 3.92%; Whites comprised 80.70%; Blacks comprised 8.95%; Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders comprised 5.48%; American Indians/Alaskan Natives comprised 0.94%, and individuals with targeted disabilities comprised 1.03%.
- Part II of this report also contains information on the top three major occupations in selected government agencies. These mission-oriented occupations with 100 or more employees frequently serve as gateways into upper management positions. Thus, data on participation rates of persons holding positions in an agency's major occupation can serve as a diagnostic tool to help determine possible areas where barriers to equal opportunity may exist.
- Among agencies with 500 or more employees, EEOC, Education and the National Science Foundation had the greatest percentage of women in SPL positions, see Table 3 below. SPL data for all agencies is located in Table VII of Appendix IV which can be found at www.eeoc.gov.
Table 3 - Ranking of Agencies with the Highest Percentage of Women in Senior Pay Level Positions (Agencies With 500 Or More Employees) Total Women in Senior Pay Level Positions Agency or Department Work Force # SPL # # % Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2,465 38 18 47.37 Education, U.S. Department of 4,584 162 66 40.74 National Science Foundation 1,333 343 125 36.44 Environmental Protection Agency 18,576 326 115 35.28 Federal Trade Commission 1,073 40 14 35.00 - Hispanics, Women, Blacks, American Indian/Alaskan
Natives and People with Disabilities Remain Below the
Government-Wide Average Pay Grade
- The average grade level for the total General Schedule work force (permanent and temporary) was 9.91 in FY 2004. Of General Schedule employees, 33.60% were in grades 1-8, 40.65% were in grades 9-12, and 25.75% were in grades 13-15.
- In FY 2004, the General Schedule participation rate for
Hispanics was 7.44%; for Blacks was 18.06%; for Asian
Americans/Pacific Islanders was 4.60%; and for American
Indians/Alaskan Natives was 2.10%. These participation rates have
remained essentially unchanged since FY 2000.(5)
Figure 1 - Average Grade in the General Schedule*
FY 2004
*See note 5, infra.
- Hispanics (9.20), Blacks (8.87) and American Indians/Alaskan Natives (8.30) had average grade levels lower than the 9.91 government-wide average grade level.
- Women held 50.61% of all General Schedule federal jobs in FY 2004.
- Approximately 51.39% of women employed in the federal General Schedule work force were in grades 7-11. The average General Schedule grade for women was 9.10, almost one full grade below the government-wide average of 9.91.
- The average General Schedule grade level for men was 10.69, nearly 2 grades higher than that for women.
- The average General Schedule grade level for people with targeted disabilities was 8.35, nearly 2 grades below the government-wide average.
- From FY 1995 to FY 2004, the total federal work force decreased by slightly over 251,000 employees, a net change of -8.78%. However, the number of federal employees with targeted disabilities has declined from 31,359 in FY 1995 to 25,917 in FY 2004, a net change of -17.35%.
- Of the 2,606,903 federal employees in FY 2004, 25,917 were persons with targeted disabilities, resulting in a participation rate for employees with targeted disabilities of 0.99%. Over the past 20 years, the federal government's efforts to improve the participation rate of employees with targeted disabilities have failed to result in any significant progress. In order to properly track trends in the employment of people with disabilities, it is necessary for each agency to regularly resurvey its work force to update disability identification information.
- At 2.23% the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had
the highest percentage of individuals with targeted disabilities
among those agencies with 500 or more employees. See Table 4 below.
Table 4 - Ranking of Agencies With the Highest Percent of People With Targeted Disabilities (Agencies With 500 Or More Employees) People With Targeted Disabilities Agency or Department Total Work Force # % Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2,465 55 2.23 Social Security Administration 63,599 1,435 2.20 Defense Logistics Agency 21,685 449 2.07 Defense Finance and Accounting Service 13,403 275 2.05 Treasury, U.S. Department of 110,612 2,105 1.90 Table IX in Appendix IV contains this information for all agencies and is located at www.eeoc.gov.
