Most hiring was curtailed because of mail volume and workload declines. In July, all hiring, promotion, and non-competitive placement of non-bargaining employees was suspended for headquarters, area, and district non-bargaining offices. The freeze affects approximately 12,900 positions.
The Postal Service is among the nation’s largest employers of veterans and disabled veterans, and is a member of the Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment and Training and Employer Outreach, which advises on veteran’s employment and best practices. In 2010 over 22 percent of the career workforce (129,886 employees) was composed of preference eligible veterans, of whom 49,119 are categorized as disabled and 13,303 are rated as 30 percent or more disabled.
Competitive procedures are used to select individuals with disabilities for employment. People with severe disabilities receive noncompetitive employment consideration through referrals from state departments of vocational rehabilitation or the Department of Veterans Affairs. This year the career workforce included 33,063 employees with reported disabilities.
The Management Intern program provides recruitment and placement of talented university graduates with specialized training and skills. This year 23 interns were hired and began the program. Fifteen interns hired in prior years completed the two-year program and were placed in positions within their functional business unit.
Flexible work arrangements, including telecommuting and alternate work schedules, enhance Postal Service efforts to recruit and retain top talent. Arrangements are now in place for most headquarters and headquarters field units. This helps employees achieve work-life balance and eliminates commuting days which reduces energy use and CO2 emissions. To date, flexible work arrangements have saved 225,000 gallons of gas and cut CO2 emissions by 4 million pounds. Telecommuting also enables employees to work at home during emergency events, enhancing the Postal Service’s ability to continue operations.
