Outlook 2018: Change Ahead Despite Leadership Void at HR Agency

• Consideration of would-be Office of Personnel Management chief delayed in Senate, leading to vacuum at OPM • President, Congress will look to cut size of federal workforce, make changes to personnel and retirement systems

By Louis C. LaBrecque

The outlook for federal workers in 2018 is uncertain, with the government’s top HR official still not in place.

What’s clear despite the lack of leadership at the Office of Personnel Management is that the president and Congress want to change the retirement and personnel systems for federal employees while cutting agency budgets, Jessica Klement, legislative director at the National Active and Retired ...