Federal Government Workforce Briefing Paper

For the purpose of this paper I will be addressing the Federal Government as one entity. This briefing will address the issue of an aging federal government workforce and how to attract and retain younger employees as evidenced by available research. As a federal government worker at the Department of State, my organization’s mission is to promote American foreign policy throughout the world. To ensure the continued serves to our nation, it is imperative that we plan for the future workforce.

Aging population across the world will continue to pose a challenge for organizations. From one viewpoint, experienced employees are leaving the workforce, leaving a leadership gap. Then again, older workers, especially those in the U.S are working past the conventional retirement age. Many will essentially need to continue working, as government disability, annuities, and other benefits are no longer adequate or available. In any case, organizations will need to establish more targeted incentive structures to keep

Companies will also need to anticipate and assess which new skills and training older employees will require, particularly in the realm of technology where they may feel less comfortable than many of their younger colleagues.

The federal workforce is building toward a potential retirement wave in coming years, with more than a third of career federal employees projected to be eligible for collecting their end-of-career benefits by September 2017, compared to just 14 percent at the same time in 2012. The dynamic of this workforce is the wealth of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience that will be walking out the door never to return. Millennials will make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020 and 75 percent of the global workforce by 2030. At issue is how to attract and retain