The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2006

aging, and on the verge of retirement eligibility, some- thing had to be done fast. The situation, in reality, has proven not quite as dire, thanks to the unusual loyalty of federal workers, who quit at rates only about a quarter of that of the private-sector work force. Many have readily worked for years past retirement eligibility, allow- ing agencies extra time to recruit and train new personnel. Everyone says that the DRI brought State back from the brink. And the numbers bear it out. AFSA argues that the department needs to work harder to diversify the work force, recruiting more minority officers and women and hanging on to them. But that, too, has been a major priority for both Powell and Rice, who have ramped up recruiting at universities with large minority populations, and vastly increased the amount spent advertising the Foreign Service written exam. Under Powell, the department also decreased the amount of time it takes to bring a new officer on board from 27 months to 10, and reached out — through targeted advertising — to fill skills gaps in management and bud- get specialties. Confirming the results of the PPS and Business Week surveys referenced at the beginning of this article, the State Department has proven a more desirable employer than most other agencies. According to separation-rate data provided by OPM, the department’s annual rate at which Foreign Service officers have left the service has over the last five years been lower than that of the Civil Service governmentwide. Last year, for instance, the Foreign Service separation rate was 5.48 percent, com- pared with 6.76 percent in the federal government as a whole. Still, like the rest of the federal government, State and the other foreign affairs agencies have to be on their toes, filling skill gaps as veteran officers retire. Office of Personnel Management data indicate that over the next five years the percentage of Foreign Service employees eligible to retire will grow from 38 percent to 60 percent. To be sure, senior officers are also about the same age as their Civil Service counterparts, at 54.3 years old on average. One potential cause for concern, however, is the apparent upward trend in the retirement numbers. Last year, 10.7 percent of senior officers left the Foreign Service, mark- ing a five-year high. That’s a lot of knowledge heading out the door. Few in leadership, however, seem worried about State’s ability to recruit new blood. And on its face, the numbers look good. The number of Foreign Service exam regis- trants has continued to grow, and now averages 35,000 a year, up from 22,000 a few years ago. The department’s advertising budget for the exam, just $75,000 five years ago, is now well over $1 million. Women make up a solid 45 percent of the hopefuls, and minorities 22 percent. The average age of incoming recruits is now 30, just a year older than when acting DG O’Keefe joined the Service. And that, in a way, is another feather in State’s cap, as the federal government as a whole has tradition- ally had trouble hiring workers with substantial previous work experience. State is happy with the recruits it is getting. After a review, the core characteristics that the department seeks — leadership skills and good judgment under pressure — appear to have stood the test of time. “We had a dis- cussion about changing the profile in the Foreign Service,” former DG Pearson told Federal News Radio last year, shortly before his retirement. “Should we recruit greater risk-takers,” for example? In the end, the test remained the same: “We’re getting such an excellent mix of people, I’m not sure we need to change the recruiting profile,” he said. State’s numbers contrast sharply with those of the mil- itary, where recruitment in the Navy and Army have lagged since the war in Iraq began. For most of State’s history, the comparison might not have been apt. But nowadays, with the number of danger posts spiraling upward, it is. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the num- ber of Foreign Service positions at unaccompanied posts has risen nearly fourfold to 700. Thankfully, a sense of adventure still drives young people to the Foreign Service, says Pearson. “For job seekers, we offer a career that can’t be found anywhere else. That’s our strongest appeal.” C O V E R S T O R Y 24 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 6 Most Foreign Service employees agree with the basic contours of Rice’s strategy. But they worry that in a tight budget environment, some of the promises will go unmet.