1942: Civil Service

National-defense projects, plus the activities undertaken by the Federal Government when the United States was precipitated into the war in December 1941, increased civilian employment in the executive branch of the Government from 1,370,110 persons on June 30, 1941, to 2,207,754 on June 30, 1942. Most of the new employees were emergency workers, and were recruited through the procedures of the United States Civil Service Commission.

In performing the task of recruiting qualified workers and getting them on the job in Federal agencies by the time needed, the Commission, before the outbreak of the war, had already simplified its procedures as far as possible within existing authority. After Pearl Harbor it was seen that sweeping innovations, requiring authority the Commission did not then possess, must be made in recruiting, examining and placement procedures in order to get workers on the job more quickly.

Authority for further simplification was contained in two Executive orders issued in February 1942 — No. 9063 (Feb. 16) and No. 9067 (Feb. 20). Under this authority, the Commission issued its War Service Regulations, placing Federal personnel administration on a war basis. (Executive Order No. 9067 was concerned with expediting the transfer of personnel to war agencies; it was superseded by Executive Order No. 9243 of Sept. 12, 1942; a separate discussion of transfer regulations appears below.)

The regulations became effective Mar. 16, 1942. Salient provisions: (1) Appointments are known as 'war service appointments'; they are, unless otherwise specifically limited, for the duration of the war and not more than six months thereafter; war service appointees do not acquire classified (competitive) civil-service status. (2) Applicants are rated simply 'eligible' or 'ineligible' where the demand for employees exceeds the supply (numerical ratings being assigned only in those cases where the supply exceeds the demand). (3) If the number of applicants for a competitive examination exceeds the anticipated needs of the service, the Commission may limit the number of persons admitted to the examination accordingly. (4) Maximum age limits are abolished except where particular kinds of positions require such limits. (5) Appointment may be made through non-competitive examination whenever in the opinion of the Commission it is not practicable to make appointment through competitive examination.

Executive Order No. 9067, referred to above, authorized the Bureau of the Budget to classify Federal agencies according to the principle of priority, and empowered the Civil Service Commission to transfer employees from lower to higher priority groups. This procedure was incorporated into the War Service Regulations. Government employees no longer needed the consent of their agency in order to apply for examinations; their applications were regarded as applications for transfer. Consent of the employing agency was not required for transfer from an agency in a lower priority group to one in a higher priority group; in all other cases, however, such consent continued to be required.

The system was modified again by Executive Order No. 9243 of Sept. 12, 1942, giving the Chairman of the War Manpower Commission authority over the transfer of Government employees. This authority was delegated to the Civil Service Commission, which immediately inaugurated a positive transfer program having as its objective the placing of Federal employees in war-connected jobs in which they could utilize their highest skills to the greatest extent. Neither the consent of the employee nor that of the employing agency is now required; whether or not an employee should be transferred is a question for the Commission to decide. Both employees and employing agencies are allowed to appeal their respective cases, however, if either feels that the proposed transfer is unjust or unwise.

The War Manpower Commission, created by Executive Order No. 9139, Apr. 18, 1942, deals with the general problem of the mobilization of manpower. The Civil Service Commission is one of the Federal agencies represented on the War Manpower Commission. It carries out the directives issued by the Chairman of the War Manpower Commission concerning Federal civilian personnel.

Amendatory legislation (Jan. 24 and Mar. 7, 1942) effected far-reaching changes in the Civil Service Retirement Act. Retirement privileges were extended to virtually all officers and employees in the Federal civil service not subject to any other retirement system. Heretofore, the law had applied primarily to classified employees, and to a limited number of unclassified employees given retirement benefits by statute. The required employee contribution was increased from 3.5 to 5 per cent of basic salary.

The Classification Act of 1923 was amended by the Ramspeck-Mead Act of Aug. 1, 1941 to provide for periodic within-grade salary advancements for employees with sufficiently high efficiency ratings who have not received equivalent advances in salary during the period through change in status, transfer, etc.