Despite Workforce Diversity Efforts, Career Metrics Differ for Some Demographic Groups in the USDA Forest Service

A diverse, representative workforce is both beneficial and legally mandated for U.S. federal agencies. While previous research documents overall diversity within public agencies, like the USDA Forest Service, little is known about career outcomes and trajectories within these agencies. In this work,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Society & natural resources 2023-06, Vol.36 (6), p.680-695
Main Authors: Sachdeva, Sonya S., Westphal, Lynne M., Kenefic, Laura S., Dockry, Michael J., Locke, Dexter H., Fisher, Cherie L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
career performance
Careers
Diversity
Employee retention
Employees
Employment
environmental justice
Ethnicity
Forests
Gender
Government agencies
Individual differences
Minority & ethnic groups
natural resource management
Race
Service industries
Termination
USDA Forest Service
Work
Workforce
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Summary:A diverse, representative workforce is both beneficial and legally mandated for U.S. federal agencies. While previous research documents overall diversity within public agencies, like the USDA Forest Service, little is known about career outcomes and trajectories within these agencies. In this work, we look at individual-level career metrics which reveal patterns in employee retention, advancement, and termination. Using employment data for over 25,000 USDA Forest Service employees, we found that race/ethnicity, gender, and the interaction of these variables significantly related to each career metric. For instance, BIPOC female employees entered at a higher grade but advanced more slowly and spent fewer years with the agency. BIPOC male employees started at lower grades and were more likely to be terminated than any other group. These results suggest that career performance within the Forest Service varies substantially as a function of race and gender. Additional research is needed to uncover why these unequal outcomes occur.
ISSN:0894-1920
1521-0723
DOI:10.1080/08941920.2023.2183447