INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY PERSONNEL STUDY STAFFING: FBI*

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00530R000200270010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: July 5, 1988
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/10/24: CIA-RDP90-00530R000200270010-5
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INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY PERSONNEL STUDY
STAFFING: FBI*
1. Current and Projected Skill Requirements and Quality of Staff
a. Critical Occupations
The FBI identifies its most critical staffing needs as
special agents with a second language (most notably Spanish),
professional linguists, data transcribers (data entry),
secretaries/clerical, and professional computer systems
personnel. Secretaries/clerical represent by far the largest of
these specialties in terms of population groups making up over 11
percent of the total FBI authorized strength. Linguists,
computer science and data transcribers are relatively small
population groups (1.5 percent of strength or less). There is no
specific data on the number of bilingual special agents required,
but as of May 19, 1988 the FBI had on its rolls 780 special
agents (approximately 8 percent of on-board special agent
strength) with a foreign language proficiency of level 2 or
better. After expending considerable effort to increase the
number of bilingual special agents, the FBI has achieved limited
success. As an incentive, the FBI has modified a long-standing
policy and now allows newly hired special agents to be assigned
to the same area from which recruited, if it is an urban area and
has a documented need for linguists.
b. Hiring and Retention
During the period 1983-1987, data on on-board strength, hires
and losses was as follows:
Sp. Agents Computer Secy/ Data
w/lang Ling. Systems Cler. Trans
Avg on-board strength 780** 189 175 2600 343
Avg # hires/year 40 22 29 460 112
Avg rate of attrition .02 .063 .105 .163 .22
Percent of losses w/5 yrs (not avail) .55 .67 .80 .90
or less svc
**as of May 1988
Overall attrition at the FBI during the period 1983-1987 was
8.2 percent, which is somewhat below that of comparable sized
companies in the private sector as well as the government-wide
average. Attrition in support skill positions for the same
period average 11.6 percent,
* This analysis encompasses total FBI personnel requirements.
Personnel accounting procedures and organizational relationships
within the FBI it impractical to sort out those resources devoted
exclusively to the foreign counterintelligence mission alone.
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which was comparable to the private sector but still below the
government average. The highest rates of attrition occurred in
the secretary/clerical and data transcriber specialties, but
these rates are not out of line with national averages for these
high turnover specialties. Computer science and linguist
attrition are also within expected norms.
Although the average attrition of special agents has remained
very low, the resignation rate has increased recently, some of
which is directly attributed to non-competitive salary rates in
some of the major cities of the country. An especially critical
problem has evolved in the New York City office because of the
extremely high cost of living in that area. Vacancy and
attrition rates are high and mission accomplishment has been
adversely affected. The Bureau has initiated a number of special
actions including changes to tour policy and efforts to obtain
cost-of-living increase for assignees.
Approximately 1/3 of the secretary/clerical and data
transcribers and 2/3 of the computer science losses were directly
attributable to pay, especially at field offices in the larger
urban areas. Most secretary/clericals and data transcribers left
for better promotion prospects or to enter a new career field,
and most went to private industry. The FBI adopted special
salary scales approved by OPM in 1986, but as of mid 1988 these
seemed to have had little impact on reducing attrition.
Although attrition of linguists has been relatively low, FBI
attributes the loss of these valuable assets to limited career
progression. Linguists can advance only to GS-11 at FBI field
offices (some at GS-12 have recently been approved) and only to
GS-13 at FBI Headquarters. A few linguists transfer to the
intelligence research specialist career field or become special
agents, if qualified.
c. Recruitment
The FBI has been able to recruit up to authorized levels each
year. The Bureau does its own recruiting, selecting and
appointing and all positions are excepted from the competitive
service. About 600 special agents and 1,700 support personnel
are hired each year. The FBI reports that the average cost per
hire in 1987 was $9,464, exclusive of training costs.
The FBI's hiring strategy for professionals (mostly special
agents) focuses on five skill areas: law, accounting, language,
engineering/science and generalists. They report being very
successful in attracting large numbers of generalist candidates,
but are less successful in hiring specialists. It is difficult
to attract linguists, accountants, attorneys, engineer and
computer science graduates due to the type of the work the FBI
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does, their mandatory transfer policy and the entry salaries they
must offer. The usual long delay caused by employment processing
is also a significant disincentive. Although pre-employment
processing delays are understood and accepted by most special
agent applicants, an increasing number of highly qualified
applicants (especially technically trained engineers and computer
science graduates) cannot (or will not) wait a lengthy period of
time for a job offer.
Although the special salary scales for secretaries/clericals,
data transcribers, nurses and engineers do apply to FBI employees
under OPM authority, the Bureau does not have its own authority
to set salary or implement pay or bonus incentives where deemed
needed. The same constraints apply to travel and transportation
allowances and to educational benefits.
d. Quality Indicators
The FBI reports general satisfaction with the people it
hires, especially its special agents. Competition is keen for
entry into the FBI as a Special Agent and there is no shortage of
applicants. In recent years, however, recruiting for Special
Agents has not been as easy as in the past. The FBI believes
non-competitive starting salaries and the trend away from public
service careers probably account for this phenomenon. Various
screening and testing devices are used and selection is very
competitive. However, the Bureau would like to increase the
number of technical professionals it attracts. Quality of the
support staff is considered good except in the large metropolitan
areas where it is very difficult to recruit and retain quality
people. High attrition rates in these specialties are compounded
by the fact thay many of the best and most promising people leave.
e. Competition with the Private Sector
The major factors that negatively affect the FBI's ability to
compete with private sector employers for top quality hires are:
restricted salary levels, the FBI transfer policy, and odd hour
scheduling in FBI work. Additionally, difficulties are
experienced in recruiting for technical positions in Washington,
D.C. because it is an extremely high cost living area.
f. Future Prospects
The FBI projects that the international aspects of foreign
counterintelligence, terrorism, criminal and the legal attache
programs will require more language specialists and more
bilingual special agents. Technical advances in record keeping
and fingerprint identification will create the need for more
technically proficient people in these areas and in informtion
processing.
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2. Impact of Change in Authorization and Ability to Recruit and Staff
Since 198@, the FBI STAFF has increased by 20 percent.
Increased resources to counter workload demands in the areas of drug
trafficking, foreign counterintelligence and terrorism account for
most of this growth. In the years 1970-72, the FBI experienced large
staff increases (nearly 24 percent growth) due to enactment of the
Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, new left radical extremism,
aircraft hijackings, bombings and extremism, internal security,
fingerprint identification, and training upgrading, notably the
establishment of the new FBI academy. The time frame 1973-1981 was a
period of no growth or staff reductions (a 6 percent reduction in
authorized strength).
The greatly fluctuating increases and decreases in authorized
strength has had a profound impact on the recruitment program. In
periods of little or no growth or reduction, staff were assigned to
other duties, recruitment sources dried up, and hiring continuity was
disrupted. Conversely, in periods of growth, personnel resources were
greatly taxed as hiring pipelines were reestablished, new people
trained and the employment mechanisms put back into operation. Under
these conditions, position staffing often lags behind hiring goals, at
least initially.
3. NAPA Staff Views
The FBI conducts a generally effective hiring program and is able
to meet most annual hiring requirements in terms of total numbers.
Nothing has been reported by the FBI nor has analysis revealed any
staffing problem of such critical nature as to adversely affect
mission accomplishment. However, the Bureau cannot attract sufficient
numbers of qualified technical professionals (including linguists) to
satisfy growing needs. It is clear that for the FBI to successfully
compete in this future job market, that greater flexbility in salary
setting is essential. Additionally, demonstrated problems in
recruiting and retaining quality people in high cost-of-living urban
areas throughout the country require solutions.
The relatively high attrition rate being experienced by the FBI
in some support areas (notably secretary/clerical and data
transcribers) points to a need to look carefully at salary levels, and
to examine career progression potential in these skills, especially at
FBI Headquarters and field offices.
Career opportunities and promotion potential are also problems
for FBI linguists. Limitations inherent in the FBI grade structure
for this profession will surely result in unnecessary attrition,
especially among the best and most valuable employees.
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4. Suggested Courses of Action
The FBI should be given special authority similar to that
currently approved for the other Intelligence Community agencies, to
set salaries and establish special rates of pay for its employees,
thereby providing the Bureau better capability to recruit and retain
technical professional and support personnel. In addition, based on
demonstrated and growing retention problems, especially in large
metropolitan areas, authority to establish special cost-of-living
rates for selected high cost areas, where specific justification
exists, is also needed and should be granted.
A careful examination of the FBI language career structure should
be conducted with a view to enhancing career advancement and promotion
prospects for linguists and to encourage long-term retention in the
career field. A similar look at the critical support skills should be
taken for the same purpose. Enhanced training and career development
programs are necessary for both the language and the support
specialties.
#186-05 July 88
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