The Foreign Service Journal, April 2012

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 49 American Foreign Service Association • April 2012 AFSA NEWS T hismarks the sixth yearwe have sur- veyedourmembershipontheir expe- riences working at USAID. Con- ducted electronically frommid-December 2011 tomid-January 2012, the survey con- sisted of 36 questions. More than 600 members—a third of the approximately 1,800 USAID FSOs currently serving — responded. We present a summary of the main findings, with selected graphs, here. Full results and analysis are available at www.afsa.org/USAIDun der TheVanguard section. Profile of USAID Respondents Approximately 81 percent of respon- dents are currently posted overseas and 51 percent are male and 49 percent female. As a result of intensive hiring during the previous four years under the Develop- ment Leadership Initiative, approxi- mately 58 percent of employees are 45 years old or younger. Almost 30 percent are unmarried, and 43 percent have no children. Significantly, 44percent ofmarriedmembers have a for- eign-born spouse. Eight percent report- edhaving a special-needs dependent, while 2percent of employees have a physical dis- ability. With regard to diversity in the Foreign Service, 79 percent are Caucasian, 9 per- cent are Asian-American, 8 percent are African-American and 5 percent are Hispanic-American. Critical Priority Country Service: When FSOs were asked about service in CPCs (Questions 14 and 15), 31 percent said their main motivation for having servedwas a senseof duty, challenge, adven- ture or patriotism. Neither financial incentives (8percent), nor other career fac- tors (advancement, bidding priority), placedveryhighon the scaleof importance for serving in CPCs. Sixty-two percent reported that their greatest concernwas sep- Continued on page 52 Discrepancies in Benefits, Entry-Level Hiring Top USAID FSOs’ Concerns BY USAID VP FRANCISCO ZAMORA