Federal employees that leave for the private sector or academia to gain more experience may have an easier time returning to government jobs, under a rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management Dec. 26.
The rule would enable returning employees to enter back into a government job without competition at a higher level than when they left, if they have gained the experience and skills to warrant such a higher position.
Under current regulation, a returning federal employee can be reinstated without competition only at a grade level that is no higher than the one they originally left.
“Oftentimes, when an individual leaves federal service, he or she acquires skills and/or experience that may qualify the individual for a position at a higher grade level than the one the individual held prior to leaving government,” the proposed rule states.