American Society for Public Administration - Vol. 28 No. 7 - July 2005

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Hispanic Representation Lags in Federal Government

Washington, DC --While Hispanics remain the only underrepresented minority group in the federal government, progress is being made. In Fiscal Year 2004, Hispanics represented 7.3 percent of the federal workforce, an increase from 7.0 the previous year.

Federal agencies have available a variety of special hiring programs, authorities and flexibilities to meet their human capital needs. The Student Career Experience Program and the Federal Career Internship Program are two important hiring programs federal agencies are using to recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds.

OPM staff recently presented highlights from this year's "Statistical Information on Hispanic Employment in Federal Agencies," a report prepared for the President, including:

• A 6.6 percent increase in the number of Hispanics in the permanent federal workforce from FY 2003.
• An increase in the number of Hispanic permanent new hires at high-grade levels and senior level positions.
• An increase in the number of Hispanic new hires under the Student Career Experience Program.

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