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Today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a letter recommending critical actions to strengthen the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce in the federal government. These recommendations aim to ensure that the federal government has the STEM expertise necessary to drive innovation, advance service delivery, and prepare for a brighter, more secure America.

These recommendations align with the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to prioritize science and technology initiatives, attract top-tier talent to government service, and modernize operations. The recommendations also address some persistent shortages of STEM personnel across the federal government. Select agencies across the Biden-Harris Administration have piloted promising programs to improve hiring processes and practices, which must be effectively scaled across the federal government in order to attract and sustain a diverse STEM workforce. This is indispensable for science and technology to help achieve our nation’s goals – healthy people, resilient communities, national security, and economic prosperity.

PCAST recommends the following immediate and longer-term actions:

  • Adopt and expand pilot initiatives, including the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) processes for the AI talent surge, and maximize the use of existing hiring flexibilities at scale across the federal government.
  • Modernize and accelerate recruiting and hiring processes to consider targeted STEM marketing, skills-based and “pooled hiring” approaches, and upskilling measures for human resources offices.
  • Expand and maximize the use of existing programs in several agencies, such as the Pathways Program, that offer expedited hiring paths to pre-qualified candidate pools and students.
  • Reduce barriers to recruiting seasoned experts for “tours of duty” by tapping into more effective conflict of interest mitigation approaches used in some defense-related agencies.
  • Designate a senior or executive point person at each agency to incentivize STEM recruitment, seek and support hiring paths outside of the norm, and proactively address barriers to federal STEM hiring progress in partnership with human resources, OPM, and other stakeholders.
  • Support the creation of a repository to facilitate continued sharing of successful initiatives and investigate best practices to strengthen the technical STEM capabilities across the government.

Together, these strategies will bolster the recruitment and retention of STEM talent that is urgently needed throughout the federal government to fulfill our missions across critical sectors.

To view a full copy of the PCAST letter, please click here

PCAST is the sole body of advisors from outside the federal government charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President. Learn more about their work here.

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