The Department of Energy's Inspector General concluded in a
recent report that "The Department has been unable to recruit and
retain critical scientific and technical staff in a manner
sufficient to meet identified mission requirements.... [I]f this
trend continues, the Department could face a shortage of nearly
40 percent in these classifications within five years." The IG
also determined that DOE was not making full use of the tools
available to it to attract and keep a skilled S&T staff. The 17-
page audit report, entitled "Recruitment and Retention of
Scientific and Technical Personnel," was submitted to Energy
Secretary Spencer Abraham on July 10.
According to the report, DOE "manages a large array of science-
based and technology-dependent programs and activities in support
of its missions in energy resources, national security,
environmental quality, and science. Much of the Department's
work is conducted by major contractors.... As of May 2001, the
Department's Federal workforce consisted of about 9,900 permanent
employees, including about 4,600 scientific and technical staff.
The Federal workforce - particularly those employees who possess
specialized skills in engineering, physics, information
technology, and other technical fields - performs a critical
contract management role in assuring the quality, timeliness, and
cost-effectiveness of contractor-provided goods and services."
The Inspector General found that if the shortages of technically-
trained staff continue, "the Department may not have the Federal
scientific and technical expertise to effectively administer the
work of its contractors," a situation that might lead to "an
increased risk of a variety of management problems." Noting that
"cost overruns and schedule slippages have occurred over the past
decade on Department projects," the report says that "some
external oversight groups...have attributed such issues, in part,
to inadequate contract management and insufficient attention to
technical, institutional, and management issues." The National
Ignition Facility is singled out as an example.
Between 1995 and 1998, downsizing and budget cuts reduced DOE's
federal staff by almost one-quarter. The report indicates that
staff reductions and management problems were both factors
leading to staffing shortages in mission-critical areas. "To its
credit," the report states, "the Department has recognized
the
seriousness of its recruitment and retention problems" and took
actions to identify its personnel needs. But, the report says,
it did not develop a comprehensive plan, based on available
funding, for addressing those needs, nor did it develop
performance measures to assess its effectiveness in meeting those
needs. "Further," the report finds, "the Department had
not
fully exploited" available management tools for hiring and
rewarding personnel with specialized skills, such as recruitment
bonuses, retention allowances, excepted service authority, and
demonstration projects "to create more flexible compensation and
performance systems."
The Inspector General recommends that DOE (1) "develop and
implement a comprehensive multi-year workforce planning program;"
(2) "develop quantifiable recruitment and retention performance
measures...to monitor the Department's progress in solving the
human capital resource problem;" and (3) "aggressively and
creatively utilize available human resource tools and
flexibilities, as well as other means to rebuild and retain a
highly skilled scientific and technical workforce at the
Department of Energy." The report warns, "the need for action
has become critical."
The report is available on the Department of Energy Office of
Inspector General Home Page.
It is not only at DOE that concerns are being felt about the
availability of a highly-skilled S&T workforce. Lawmakers and
many industry executives have expressed worries about the
nation's inability to attract and train U.S. citizens for the
high-tech workforce. At a recent retreat for congressional
Democrats, Stan Williams, the head of Hewlett-Packard's
nanotechnology laboratory, remarked that "everyone over the age
of 45 in my lab was born in the United States. No one under the
age of 45 in my lab is from the United States." Some Members of
Congress, led by Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Christopher Bond (R-MO)
and Bill Frist (R-TN) in the Senate and Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
in the House, have drafted legislation to encourage more U.S.
college students to pursue degrees in science, engineering or
technology. Plans to introduce the "Tech Talent" bill, however,
have been delayed after last week's tragedies.
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