U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management

The current Federal Government civilian workforce is approximately 1.8 million employees (not counting postal workers). The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is the President’s agent and advisor for the Government’s human resources management systems. OPM’s key responsibility is to ensure these systems support agencies in recruiting, hiring and retaining the merit-based, high-quality, diverse workforce necessary to meet the needs of the American people.

OPM’s strategy is to provide human capital leadership and services for all agencies, in a manner that blends and balances flexibility and consistency across Government. Specifically, our strategy is to serve the interests of the Government as a single employer by sustaining essential Governmentwide values, such as merit system principles and accountability, veterans’ preference, workforce diversity and family-friendly policies. And, at the same time, we equip agencies with the flexible policies and systems necessary to recruit, retain, train and manage employees in a manner appropriate to each agency’s unique needs. We also administer Governmentwide compensation, earned employee benefits and automated information systems. These systems help attract and retain high-quality employees and serve the Government’s best interests as an employer, offering economies-of-scale only available when designed and managed on a Governmentwide basis. We provide assistance and services to agencies through an effective and efficient mix of appropriated, trust and reimbursable funds.

In carrying out its functions, OPM relies heavily on its own expert staff, broadly applied cutting-edge technology and effective partnerships with a wide range of stakeholder groups who represent many points of view. These include: Federal agencies and their employees; employee unions; professional and management associations; Federal annuitants and their organizations; job-seekers; veterans and their service organizations; minorities, women, and persons with disabilities and their organizations; colleges and universities and their organizations; and insurance carriers.