Air Force officials announce civilian hiring control

  • Published
  • By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON --  Air Force leaders announced that hiring controls were instituted May 9 to reduce projected growth of the civilian workforce.

The Air Force-wide efforts to stem the civilian personnel growth are a result of the Secretary of Defense's efficiency initiatives to maintain civilian manning at fiscal year 2010 levels.

Hiring controls will allow the Air Force to take a targeted approach to meet the mandated manning levels.

Effective immediately, the service will hire one person for every two new vacancies in areas affected by hiring controls (largely O&M funded positions). This doesn't apply to current hiring actions when a job selection has already been made; however all other hiring actions may only be filled at a 1:2 ratio as new vacancies occur.

"As our nation and the Air Force face significant budgetary challenges, tools such as hiring controls help us manage hiring and posture ourselves for the future," said Paige
Hinkle-Bowles, deputy director of force management policy."

Hiring controls will enable a more focused approach to hiring, giving higher priority to strategic mission areas such as the Nuclear Enterprise, the Acquisition Workforce and Test and Evaluation.

"Civilian hiring controls will be used as a bridging mechanism as the Air Force develops strategic plans for the future to ensure civilian authorizations are in the right place to meet mission priorities," said Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, deputy chief of staff of Air Force manpower, personnel, and services.

Air Force officials will continue to monitor and assess hiring controls throughout the summer and will provide additional hiring guidance and prioritization details as the overall plan develops.

"The Air Force recognizes the invaluable contributions of our civilian workforce, but also recognizes the fiscal constraints under which all the services are operating. We will do our best to balance mission needs while taking care to minimize the effect on the civilian workforce," General Jones said.

For more information about hiring controls, contact your local civilian personnel strategic advisory (CPO), or visit the Air Force personnel services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil/app/home. For information about other personnel issues, go to the AFPers site or call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102.