OPM SIMPLIFIES TEMPORARY HIRING AUTHORITIES

Washington, DC--The Office of Personnel Management issued final regulations to simplify several temporary hiring authorities and ensure their appropriate use.

The regulations consolidate excepted service authorities for filling temporary, intermittent, and seasonal jobs. They also establish a new excepted service authority which could be used by agencies to meet urgent, short-term hiring needs. That authority was formerly contained in FPM Chapter 316.

The revised rules implement the National Performance Review Recommendations to reduce the number of federal hiring authorities and decentralize many personnel decisions.

Under the regulations, agencies may use Schedule A authority to fill temporary and less-than-full-time positions in remote or isolated locations and would limit excepted employment to 1,040 working hours in a service year. Schedule A authorities were established specifically for temporary or seasonal employment where examining for the positions is impracticable. Agencies could also use Schedule A authority for short-term appointments to meet special hiring needs that would not exceed 30 days, plus one 30 day extension. Prior approval from OPM is not required in either case.

"It is important that OPM continues to fulfill the recommendations of the NPR to simplify regulations wherever possible and give agencies the power to make their own personnel decisions," said OPM Director Jim King.

- End -

• To Website Index
• To OPM Homepage

Web page created 2 December 1997