Obama Orders More Diversity in Govt. Workforce

President Barack Obama has ordered government agencies to develop plans to improve diversity in the federal workforce. The executive order is designed to address the fact that whites hold more than 81 percent high paying positions in the government, The Washington Post reported.
 

 “The federal government has a special opportunity to lead by example,” John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, said according to the Post. “We will only succeed in our critical mission with a workforce that hails from, represents and is connected to the needs of every American community.”
 

While details have yet to be worked out, the plan calls for participation by executives at OPM, the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The group is to come up with a government-wide plan within 90 days, followed by specific plans for each federal agency within 120 days, the Post reported.
 

According to the latest Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program Report, women hold 31 percent of senior positions, African Americans 7 percent and Latinos 4 percent, the Post reported.