The USPS has made some improvements in its hiring practices in recent years but it still faces challenges in recruiting—as well as a pending exodus of older employees to retirement—that adopting best practices from the private sector and other national mail services could help address, says an IG report.
“The Postal Service struggles to retain its pre-career employees and attract enough applicants to fill some open positions, as its workforce continues to age and approach retirement,” it says. “Between fiscal years 2021-2023, over half of the agency’s job postings for pre-career positions did not receive any applications, 18 percent of newly hired pre-career employees did not show up for orientation or their first day of work in FY 2023, and one-third left the agency within their first 90 days.”