Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Permanent Workforce: 84,982 Temporary Workforce: 21,316 Total Workforce: 106,298
Workforce Composition
| Total # | Men | Women | Hispanic or Latino | White | Black or African American | Asian | Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander | American Indian / Alaska Native | Two or More Races | Individuals with Targeted Disabilities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Workforce | 84,982 | 56.12% | 43.88% | 6.24% | 77.66% | 10.84% | 2.78% | 0.10% | 2.26% | 0.12% | 0.95% |
| Major Occupations: | |||||||||||
| FORESTRY TECHNICIAN | 16,777 | 80.75% | 19.25% | 6.41% | 87.55% | 1.32% | 0.94% | 0.08% | 3.40% | 0.31% | 0.23% |
| BIO. SCIENCE TECHNICIAN | 5,840 | 57.26% | 42.74% | 4.55% | 85.05% | 3.70% | 3.99% | 0.77% | 1.34% | 0.63% | 0.60% |
| GEN NATL RESOURCES MGT & BIO SC | 5,153 | 64.45% | 35.55% | 6.79% | 82.28% | 3.69% | 5.08% | 0.14% | 1.92% | 0.10% | 0.68% |
| GS-14 and GS-15* | 5,999 | 67.26% | 32.74% | 4.10% | 79.20% | 10.24% | 5.38% | 0.02% | 1.05% | 0.02% | 0.58% |
| Sr. Pay Level* | 453 | 73.95% | 26.05% | 4.42% | 81.24% | 9.49% | 2.87% | 0.22% | 1.55% | 0.22% | 0.66% |
| SES | 342 | 69.88% | 30.12% | 4.09% | 79.82% | 11.11% | 2.63% | 0.00% | 2.05% | 0.29% | 0.58% |
| First-Level Officials/ Mgrs | 5,088 | 75.96% | 24.04% | 7.33% | 82.88% | 4.64% | 1.55% | 0.08% | 3.46% | 0.06% | 0.33% |
| Mid-Level Officials/ Mgrs | 4,195 | 64.10% | 35.90% | 5.48% | 80.91% | 9.54% | 2.26% | 0.05% | 1.74% | 0.02% | 0.55% |
| Senior-Level Officials/ Mgrs | 1,607 | 72.18% | 27.82% | 4.36% | 80.15% | 10.70% | 3.05% | 0.06% | 1.62% | 0.06% | 0.50% |
*Does not include pay-banded employees
Targeted Disabilities
As of September 30, 2009, USDA employed 883 (0.83%) Individuals with Targeted Disabilities (IWTD). In order to have met the federal 2% participation rate goal, 2,126 IWTD were needed. This represents a decrease of 10 employees from FY 2008 and a decrease of 117 employees since FY 2005. The participation rate for FY 2008 was 0.85% and for FY 2005 was 0.91%. Over the 5-year period USDA had a net decrease of 0.08% in employees with targeted disabilities.
EEO Complaint Processing
I. Counseling
USDA timely processed 86.6% of the 1,031 pre-complaint counselings (without remands) completed in FY 2009.
II. Bases of Complaints Filed
The bases of alleged discrimination most often raised were: (1) Reprisal; (2) Age; and (3) Sex (Female). Of the 492 complaints filed at USDA, 117 contained allegations of race (Black/African American) discrimination, 31 contained allegations of race (White) discrimination, 12 contained allegations of race (Asian) discrimination, 7 contained allegations of race (American Indian/Alaska Native) discrimination, 43 contained allegations of color discrimination and 80 contained allegations of disability discrimination.
III. Complaint Processing Times
Of the 344 completed investigations, 52.3% were timely. USDA's average time for completing an investigation was 244 days. Of the agencies completing 25 or more investigations, the Tennessee Valley Authority had the lowest average of 100 days.
USDA's average processing time for all complaint closures decreased from 802 days in FY 2008 to 620 days in FY 2009. The government-wide average was 344 days.
IV. Costs
USDA agreed to pay $423,899 for 122 pre-complaint settlements, of which 39 were monetary settlements averaging $10,869. USDA expended a total of $1,225,710 for 344 complaint investigations, for an average expenditure of $3,563.
USDA agreed to pay a total of $5,021,706 plus other benefits for 220 complaint closures through settlement agreements, final agency decisions, and final agency orders fully implementing AJ decisions. For complaint closures with monetary benefits, the average award was $22,826.
| Pre-Complaint Counseling Outcomes | Completed by EEO Counselor | Completed Using ADR | All Completed Counselings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| Pre-Complaint Counselings: | 782 | 250 | 1,032 | |||
| Settlements | 63 | 8.1% | 59 | 23.6% | 122 | 11.8% |
| Withdrawals or No Complaints Filed | 316 | 40.4% | 84 | 33.6% | 400 | 38.8% |
| Complaints Filed* | 479 | 46.4% | ||||
| Decision to File Complaint Pending at End of Fiscal Year | 31 | 3% | ||||
*Includes only complaints filed in FY 2009 where counseling was also completed during FY 2009.
| Counseling | Complaint | |
|---|---|---|
| Completed/Ended Counselings/Complaint Closures | 1,032 | 744 |
| Total Number Offered ADR | 931 | 144 |
| ADR Offer Rate* | 90.2% | 19.4% |
| ADR Participation Rate* | 24.2% | 8.2% |
| Total ADR Settlements | 59 | 19 |
| Total ADR Settlements Amount | $116,124.82 | $170,851.00 |
* EEOC revised the formula for calculating the ADR offer and participation rates in FY 2006.
| Total # | # Timely | % Timely | FY 2008 APD* | FY 2009 APD | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Pre-Complaint Counselings (minus remands) | 1,031 | 893 | 86.6% | |||
| All Investigations | 344 | 180 | 52.3% | 213 | 244 | 14.6% |
| All Complaint Closures | 744 | 802 | 620 | -22.7% | ||
| Merit Decisions (no AJ) | 352 | 19 | 5.4% | 1,159 | 695 | -40% |
| Dismissal Decisions (no AJ) | 33 | 283 | 200 | -29.3% |
*APD = Average Processing Days
| Complaint Closures | Final Agency Decision (no AJ Decision) | Final Order (AJ Decision Fully Implemented) | Final Order (AJ Decision Not Fully Implemented) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| Total Complaints Filed | 492 | |||||||
| Total Closures | 744 | |||||||
| Settlements | 206 | 27.7% | ||||||
| Withdrawals | 34 | 4.6% | ||||||
| Total Final Agency Actions | 504 | 67.7% | 385 | 76.4% | 119 | 23.6% | 0 | 0% |
| Dismissals | 38 | 7.5% | 33 | 86.8% | 5 | 13.2% | 0 | 0% |
| Merit Decisions | 466 | 92.5% | 352 | 75.5% | 114 | 24.5% | 0 | 0% |
| Finding Discrimination | 14 | 3% | 11 | 78.6% | 3 | 21.4% | 0 | 0% |
| Finding No Discrimination | 452 | 97% | 341 | 75.4% | 111 | 24.6% | 0 | 0% |