More than 10,000 individuals with doctoral degrees in science and related disciplines resigned or otherwise departed federal government positions last year, according to data released by the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The departures mark a significant loss among the government’s most highly trained technical staff and raise concerns about the longevity of institutional expertise.
Jeffrey Mervis, senior correspondent for Science magazine, spoke with CBS News about the OPM figures and their implications. He and other observers identify multiple, overlapping factors driving senior technical staff out of government service: higher pay and faster advancement opportunities in the private sector, burnout and pandemic-related stress, slow and cumbersome federal hiring procedures, and worries about insufficient support for independent scientific work in some agencies.
Those departures thin the pool of institutional knowledge that agencies depend on for research, regulatory decisions, long-term programs and mission-critical advice. Without stable cohorts of experienced scientists, agencies may struggle to design and implement complex policies, respond to public-health emergencies, or sustain long-range research agendas.
Leaders and advocates say the OPM numbers highlight the need for reforms to recruit and retain top technical talent. Proposed remedies include improving pay and benefits, speeding up hiring and onboarding, strengthening protections for scientific integrity, and creating clearer career pathways for scientists inside government. Addressing those issues, they argue, is essential to preserve the technical capacity needed for policymaking, public health, national security and scientific research.