Washington, DC - During the latest in a series of discussions hosted by the The Council for Excellence in Government and The Washington Post, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Linda M. Springer discussed the challenges and opportunities the federal government will face in order to maintain a strong workforce.

Springer opened her discussion by detailing the "retirement tsunami" that the federal government will be hit with over the next few years.

"OPM estimates that 60 percent of the government's 1.6 million white-collar employees and 90 percent of about 6,000 federal executives will be eligible for retirement over the next 10 years," said Springer. "We need to take steps now to expand employment opportunities for the next generation of public servants. Because of expected retirements, we are looking at a very different, very new set of people who will be here eight, nine, 10 years from now. The time to think about that is now, not then."

In addition to her comments regarding the federal government's retirement outlook, Springer discussed the need to create a new work environment, one that takes into consideration the needs of the future workforce.

Springer stated, "I am convinced the workforce will include a mix of career patterns that differ from the traditional long-term federal workforce. It will require different kinds of training and encourage more flexibility by managers. Everyone is going to be looking for talent, and we must be competitive. We don't have a choice."

For information on OPM programs and initiatives, please visit www.opm.gov.