Budget seeks largest increase in federal civilian workforce since 2009

After years of flat or even declining staffing levels at agencies across the federal government, the Obama administration wants most agencies to begin staffing ...

After years of flat or even declining staffing levels at agencies across the federal government, the Obama administration wants most agencies to begin staffing up again.

In fact, President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2015 budget proposes the largest governmentwide staffing increase since 2009.

All told, the budget calls for the size of the federal civilian workforce to increase by 14,000 positions — a 0.7 percent increase from current staffing levels.

Last year’s budget proposed adding about 6,100 employees to the ranks of the civil service, a much smaller 0.3 percent increase. In fiscal years 2011 and 2012, the administration proposed cutting staffing by thousands of positions.

Most agencies would be due for modest staffing increases next year, according to a supplementary budget volume released Monday.

Among the agencies with the largest percent increases to their workforces are a more than 7 percent staffing boost to the Treasury Department — much of it for the Internal Revenue Service — and a nearly 12 percent boost to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The budget plans to slightly trim the Defense Department’s workforce by 0.8 percent — or about 6,300 positions.

Agency

2013 (estimated)

2014 (estimated)

Difference

Agriculture 90,200 90,800 &#9650 0.7 percent
Broadcasting Board of Governors 1,800 1,800 No change
Commerce 42,600 45,100 &#9650 5.9 percent
Defense 755,400 749,100 &#9660 0.8 percent
Education 4,100 4,100 No change
Energy 15,700 15,900 &#9650 1.3 percent
Environmental Protection Agency 15,600 15,400 &#9660 1.3 percent
General Services Administration 12,500 12,100 &#9660 3.2 percent
Health and Human Services 72,500 74,600 &#9650 2.9 percent
Homeland Security 190,100 189,800 &#9660 0.2 percent
Housing and Urban Development 8,700 8,900 &#9650 2.3 percent
Interior 69,200 69,900 &#9650 1 percent
Justice 116,800 117,400 &#9650 0.5 percent
Labor 17,200 17,800 &#9650 3.5 percent
NASA 17,900 17,600 &#9660 1.7 percent
National Archives and Records Administration 3,000 3,000 no change
Nuclear Regulatory Commission 3,800 3,900 &#9650 2.3 percent
Office of Personnel Management 5,400 5,400 no change
Securities and Exchange Commission 4,200 4,700 &#9650 11.9 percent
Social Security Administration 62,200 64,100 &#9650 3.1 percent
State 33,300 33,300 No change
Transportation 55,900 56,800 &#9650 1.6 percent
Treasury 101,400 108,800 &#9650 7.3 percent
Veterans Affairs 319,200 321,400 &#9650 0.7 percent

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