Title 5

SECTION 720.203

720.203 Responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management.

§ 720.203 Responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management.

(a) The Office of Personnel Management will provide appropriate data to assist Federal agencies in making determinations of underrepresentation. The process for making such determinations is described in sections II and III (c) of the “Guidelines for the Development of a Federal Recruitment Program to Implement 5 U.S.C. 7201, as amended” (See appendix to this part). The Office will develop and publish more specific criteria for statistical measurements to be used by individual agencies, and will develop further guidance on -

(1) Agency employment statistics and civilian labor force statistics to be used in making determinations of underrepresentation, on a national, regional or other geographic basis as appropriate;

(2) Groupings of grades and/or other occupational categories to be used in implementing agency programs;

(3) Occupational categories and job series for which expanded external recruitment efforts are most appropriate, and those for which expanded and innovative internal recruitment is appropriate; and

(4) Other factors which may be considered by the agency, in consultation with Office of Personnel Management, to make determinations of underrepresentation and to develop recruitment programs focused on specific occupational categories.

(b) The Office will assist agencies in carrying out their programs by -

(1) Identifying major recruitment sources of women and members of minority groups and providing guidance on internal and external recruitment activities directed toward the solution of specific underrepresentation problem;

(2) Supplementing agency recruitment efforts, utilizing existing networks for dissemination of job information, and involving the participation of minority group and women's organizations where practicable;

(3) Examining existing Federal personnel procedures to identify those which (i) may serve as impediments to innovative internal and external recruitment and (ii) are within the administrative control of the Office or the Federal agencies;

(4) Determining whether applicant pools used in filling jobs in a category of employment where underrepresentation exists include sufficient candidates from any underrepresentated groups, except where the agency controls such pools (see § 720.204(c));

(5) Providing such other support, as the Office deems appropriate.

(c) The Office will monitor and, in conjunction with the personnel management evaluation program of the Office, evaluate agency programs to determine their effectiveness in eliminating underrepresentation.

(d) The Office will work with agencies to develop effective mechanisms for providing information on Federal job opportunities targeted to reach candidates from underrepresented groups.

(e) The Office will conduct a continuing program of guidance and instruction to supplement these regulations.

(f) The Office will coordinate further activities to implement equal opportunity recruitment programs under this subpart with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission consistent with law, Executive Order 12067, and Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978.

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