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AIA Study: Barriers Keeping Government Positions Vacant

October 31, 2007

A newly released AIA report concludes that the current process of filling senior politically appointed leadership positions in government is not serving our best interests and is repelling some of the nation's best candidates from public service. The report -- Overcoming Barriers to Public Service -- identifies specific problems keeping highly qualified people from working in important government posts and proposes specific fixes. AIA President and CEO John Douglass said the issue is hampering the Defense Department and other agencies. "These barriers hurt the United States by making our most important agencies operate shorthanded, and sometimes results in marginally qualified people filling important positions," Douglass said. "The AIA Legal Committee has done an excellent job identifying remedies to the problem, and Congress should take a serious look at making these improvements." The study, conducted by members of the AIA Legal Committee, focused on the Defense Department, but the conclusions and suggested fixes can be applied widely across federal agencies, Douglass said. The report lists several specific factors that deter good candidates from the positions -- the long and convoluted confirmation process, large pay differential between public and private sectors and overly restrictive post-government employment restrictions. It concluded that financial reporting requirements are necessary, but in their current form are unduly burdensome and invasive. Four improvements are recommended:

• Simplify the appointment and confirmation process
• Adjust financial reporting requirements
• Provide signing bonuses and higher pay to make compensation competitive
• Create a single unified term for post-employment restrictions

The study is available online at www.aia-aerospace.org/library/reports/reports.cfm