Civil Service 2000 Revisited: Old Assumptions — New Facts and Forecasts

Abstract

This article summarizes the U.S. Office of Personnel Management report, “Revisiting Civil Service 2000: New Policy Direction Needed”, published in September 1993. The OPM report revisits the widely circulated 1988 publication, Civil Service 2000, which predicted the future employment needs of the federal workforce. The report analyzes the assumptions made in Civil Service 2000 to determine if the directions it set are still valid guides for future federal human resources management policies. It argues that a shift in focus is now needed, moving from recruitment and retention issues as highlighted in Civil Service 2000 to a new emphasis on effective management of the existing workforce.