Cross-Agency Comparisons of Quit Rates in the Federal Service

Federal agencies vary widely in the extent to which employees quit. This study seeks to understand that variation by examining the relationship between agency quit rates and a number of variables identified in the literature as significant determinants of employee turnover. Several of the variables tested, including the employment of young workers, clerical employment, agency size, union strength, and temporary employment are significantly associated with federal agency quit rates. The proportion of an agency's work force comprised of young employees, for example, demonstrates a strong positive relationship with the frequency of quits, as expected. Other variables, including professional and administrative employment and, more notably, the employment of women and minorities, appear to have no impact on variation in agency quit rates.