Deploying Talent at Speed and Scale: Reforming Federal Hiring and Improving the Workforce’s Capacity to Drive Outcomes

Blog Co-Author: Sara Sayyar, Consultant, Federal HR and Talent Transformation, IBM

As agencies navigate shifting priorities amidst rapid technological change, their ability to attract and retain high-quality talent is essential to their mission of delivering for the American people. 

In a recent panel with the Niskanen Center and the Partnership for Public Service, the IBM Center for The Business of Government examined human capital hiring and management activities that advance mission-critical work in federal agencies. The discussion focused primarily on practical improvements that could be implemented without new legislation. Current and former leaders from government, academia, non-profit leaders, and corporate executives convened on this issue to create an actionable path forward.

Participants called attention to the federal hiring system not reflecting modern work practices, and how agencies can reorient to direct talent towards mission-aligned functions. The federal workforce was initially (and in many ways remains) designed for clerical hiring; this system cannot keep pace with advances in automation and artificial intelligence. Consequently, large portions of the federal workforce hold are hired for jobs that can made more productive by leveraging technology. As the government integrates technology solutions, leaders can be more deliberate in identifying which tasks are best suited for technology, and how best to bring on and develop talent in a way that links automation with human judgement and complex decision-making.

The government faces pressure to perform more rapidly and efficiently amidst many constraints, such as rising national debt, tight budgets, and lower workforce growth. To advance past the incremental progress of past hiring reform, leaders must look beyond limited fixes and prioritize a high-quality end-to-end employee experience. Participants offered recommendations on recruitment and hiring, onboarding, and linking performance to outcomes.

The discussion produced a set of actionable recommendations.

Hiring/Recruiting

The federal hiring system is slowed by outdated job classifications, rigid qualification requirements, and complex processes that prevent agencies from competing effectively for talent. These structural issues, combined with slow and fragmented hiring workflows and a weak government employer brand, lead to candidate drop‑off and limit the government’s ability to attract and retain mission‑driven applicants.

The group discussed the following reforms:

• Modernize job descriptions and qualification standards Agencies can use tools like AI and human‑centered rewriting to simplify job descriptions, remove outdated degree requirements, and shift toward skills-based hiring, making roles clearer and more accessible to talent.
• Streamline and accelerate hiring operations By centralizing badging, improving automated communication, expanding postings beyond USAJOBS, and using shared talent pools, agencies can significantly reduce hiring timelines and limit candidate drop‑off.
• Strengthen hiring manager capability and accountability Providing hiring managers with targeted tools, training, delegated authority, and process transparency can improve recruitment quality and reduce bottlenecks in the hiring pipeline.
• Improve employer brand and candidate experience Agencies can enhance their appeal by creating mission‑centered recruitment campaigns, improving onboarding experiences, and ensuring new hires have the tools, culture, and support they need from day one.

Onboarding

Federal onboarding is overly administrative and lacks engagement. Agencies are missing critical opportunities to have employees interact meaningfully with peers and connect with the agency’s mission. The group discussed the following reforms:

• Eliminate a “one-size-fits-all" onboarding approach: Customize the onboarding based on whether the individual is a new hire or a rehire, and design digestible and engagement-focused programs.
• Emphasize agency mission: Utilize onboarding to convey the agency's values. Keep administrative requirements and mission/culture activities separate.
• Establish regular feedback loops: Strengthen longevity in the onboarding system by holding feedback sessions (group recommended around 30-days mark) to identify any issues.

Linking Performance to Outcomes

Once on board, employees feel disconnected with their agency’s performance goals. Metrics to measure performance can be unclear and pay-scales are not always correlated with performance. These factors make it difficult for employees to link personal contributions to agency outputs, and often for them to meaningfully support future hiring efforts. The group discussed the following reforms:

• Revamp federal employment incentives: Adopt flexible and merit-based compensation models and utilize incentives that promote more mission-aligned outcomes, such as pay banding systems, blended rating systems, and allowing for accelerated advancement of high-performers.
• Utilize outcome-focused performance metrics: Establish metrics that employees can track to agency outputs, and a baseline talent assessment to address recent changes in the federal workforce.

These recommendations, taken together, can bridge the gap in building a sustainable federal workforce but cannot solve them alone. Participants observed that many of these challenges will ultimately require legislative action to reimagine the structure of the civil service.  Leaders can move from incremental change and instead pursue meaningful reforms that enhance flexibility and purpose in the federal workforce.