OPM officials also believe work force planning will lead to opportunities in vital areas for a new generation of job seekers.

Based on historical data, Retirement Statistics, http://www.opm.gov/feddata, concludes that approximately 19 percent of the current, full-time permanent work force is likely to retire in the years 2001 through 2005, an average of 3.8 percent per year. By comparison, the retirement rate for the preceding five years was 15.6 percent, or an average annual rate of 3.12 percent.

Still, Retirement Statistics demonstrates that the impact of employee retirements on government services may be uneven, depending on such variables as occupation, agency and geographic location. For this reason, many agencies are conducting a deeper analysis of their current and future staffing needs, paying particular attention, for instance, to recruiting or succession planning for hard-to-fill and technical occupations.

One section in Retirement Statistics, "Agency Demographic Profiles," looks at the aggregate retirement record of 27 large agencies in 1999 through a mix of employee demographic categories, including gender, occupation, supervisory status and salary range.

Another section, "Projections," explains how future retirements are predicted using retirement data from the 1990s. Other sections in Retirement Statistics include "Highlights and Trends" and "Frequently Asked Questions." In combination, these features can help agencies structure their strategic planning activities accordingly.

"The scope and depth of information the Retirement Statistics web report makes available can help agencies plan for the future, be aggressive in recruiting top people and fulfill President Bush's vision of a government that delivers effective and efficient services to the taxpayer," said OPM Acting Director Steven R. Cohen.

Retirement Statistics was created by OPM in response to heightened attention being paid to the anticipated retirement of baby boomers and the impact their departure could have on the ability of federal agencies to conduct future business.

Elsewhere in Retirement Statistics, agency executives and human resources planners will find a treasure chest of facts and figures. One such gem says that, on average, employees work three additional years after becoming eligible to retire. Another establishes January as the most popular month to retire over the course of the '90s, with more than 76,000 retirements posted; the least popular month during the decade was February, with 24,000 retirements.

"Based on our best predictions now, the retirement wave will not be violent and sudden, but rather a prolonged, manageable wave of increasing retirements that will extend well beyond 2005," said Kelly Croft, OPM's Assistant Director for Workforce Information. "With timely planning, agencies will assure that retirement growth is not a strategic threat, but rather a strategic opportunity to bring new diversity and skills into their work forces."