At a recent breakfast celebrating the agency’s rise in the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings, a comprehensive analysis of employee engagement and satisfaction in the federal government produced annually with Boston Consulting Group, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said, “It’s no exaggeration to say that VA employees-and all federal employees-have been the backbone of this country during the pandemic.” This high attrition rate may be explained by the fact that VA employees served on the front lines during the pandemic, and many are burnt out. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs had the highest attrition rate at 7.1%, a full percentage point greater than the government-wide average and an increase from the agency’s 6.4% attrition rate in fiscal 2020. Future data is needed to see if this slight increase has continued in fiscal 2022 and whether it will become a broader federal workforce trend.Īttrition rates in fiscal 2021 varied across many agencies in government, all of which faced uniquely demanding circumstances as they responded to and operated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the attrition rate across different quarters of fiscal 2021 was consistent-even though many worried that the so-called “Great Resignation,” a wave of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs, would occur in government at the start of the fourth quarter.Īttrition increased only slightly during this quarter-1.8%-compared with 1.5% in quarter one and quarter three, and 1.3% in quarter two. Because retirements are easier to predict than quits, agencies should be proactive about replacing employees who plan to retire. In fiscal 2021, retirements constituted around 53.0% of the overall government-wide attrition, a percentage consistent with previous years. The government-wide attrition rate in fiscal 2021 was 6.1%, a higher figure than the 5.5% rate in fiscal 2020 but consistent with the 6.1% rate in fiscal 2019 and the 6.0% rate in fiscal 2018. Percentages throughout may not appear to add up to 100 due to rounding. * All data and analysis below rely on FedScope, the government’s online workforce data tool. These changes may be of interest to the Biden administration as it seeks to support and strengthen the federal civil service. In fiscal 2021, the attrition rate for these elements or groups was higher than the government-wide average. That said, certain critical elements of the federal workforce are in a state of stress. Moreover, the federal government continued to grow in fiscal 2021, demonstrating the stability of the career workforce. The attrition rate in fiscal 2021 was only slightly higher than the previous year and consistent with pre-pandemic rates. We focused on voluntary attrition-the number of quits and retirements in a fiscal year divided by the number of employees at the end of the previous fiscal year.ĭespite claims to the contrary, we found that government is not in crisis. This critical period saw a presidential transition and continued uncertainty in the workplace due to the coronavirus pandemic. *We analyzed the fiscal 2021 attrition rate, a period that ran from October 2020 through September 2021, for various groups and categories. Therefore, federal leaders need to monitor attrition and be proactive when possible to ensure that agencies quickly meet their workforce needs and best serve the public. While some attrition is natural and can help infuse the federal workforce with new talent and ideas, turnover can also cause a loss of institutional knowledge and cost hiring managers both time and resources. Who is quitting and retiring: Important fiscal 2021 trends in the federal governmentĪttrition is an ongoing concern for our federal government.
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