ES has identified occupations across Government that we know are underrepresented. We are working with agencies that have a high percentage of underrepresentation in those occupations to develop strategies to address the shortfalls on a more detailed level. In addition, ES staff will continue to foster efforts to ensure that all agencies focus greater attention on diversity issues. For example, we will focus additional efforts on the Interagency Working Group on Race and Ethnicity which is reinventing the way the Federal Government collects race and national origin information. Issues raised include the adoption of a multi-racial category and the ability to make comparisons between the newly proposed categories and the current categories.
Specific guidance is issued to assist agencies.
In FY 1998, OPM issued a strengthened nine-point plan to increase Hispanic employment, an initiative for improving Black representation at higher grade levels, and targeted recruitment guidance for women and for persons with disabilities. OPM also conducted extensive seminars and workshops on diversity and co-hosted a national summit of Federal Hispanic senior executives to develop strategies for increasing their numbers. Model recruitment plan issued and agencies are satisfied with its usefulness, as measured by customer satisfaction results on the annual OPM Customer Satisfaction Survey. Special initiatives lead to qualitative and quantitative results. The ES partnered with the Social Security Administration to establish Project Able to assist workers with disabilities in reentering the workforce.