Workforce and Expertise

The vitality of the federal workforce, and the expertise embedded within it, is foundational to the capacity of democratic governance. Personnel are not simply a line item in the budget; they embody the skills, institutional memory, and professional norms that allow agencies to carry out their missions with competence and legitimacy. The erosion of this workforce, whether through attrition, politicization, outsourcing, or technological displacement, has far-reaching consequences for equity, accountability, and the durability of public institutions. Understanding these dynamics requires close attention to both the human capital lifecycle (recruitment, development, retention, and separation) and the broader systems in which the federal workforce is embedded.

The Workforce and Expertise CoP of ARRC will explore how shifts in personnel and expertise reshape the federal government’s ability to serve the public interest. Questions addressed by the Workforce and Expertise CoP of ARRC include:

• What is the scope of recent workforce reductions, and how does the size and composition of the workforce compare historically and over time?

• Which agency capacities and functions have been most impacted by personnel cuts, and what are the downstream effects on program outcomes?

• Has specific expertise or knowledge loss occurred due to personnel actions or policy changes surrounding data collection, maintenance, or accessibility?

• How do high turnover rates and unfilled expert positions affect service equity, particularly for marginalized or rural communities?

• What are the impacts of privatizing or politicizing expertise on the rigor of rulemaking and the quality of program delivery?

• To what extent are present disruptions—such as hiring freezes, remote work policies, expansion of the number and placement of political appointees, and new employee loyalty tests—affecting interest in federal careers across different talent pools (students, midcareer professionals, executives)?

• Which federal roles are most at risk of automation by AI, and how feasible is AI-driven workforce replacement relative to preserving human competence and autonomy in public sector tasks?

• How are federal personnel policy changes influencing human capital across levels of government and sectors?

• What are the broader economic impacts of federal workforce actions, particularly on regions and communities dependent on federal employment?