The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report examining workforce challenges at the Maritime Administration (Marad). The report detailed how the agency is addressing these issues, and the extent to which Marad has implemented key workforce planning principles in its strategic workforce plan.
GAO's report said Marad faces increasing demands as the agency responsible for fostering, promoting, and developing the U.S. maritime industry to meet economic and security needs. While Marad’s budget grew by approximately 314% from fiscal years 2015 through 2024, GAO noted the agency has struggled with workforce retention and recruitment. As of September 2024, Marad had a 12.3% vacancy rate (116 vacant positions out of 941 authorized full-time roles). Over the past decade, Marad has lost 235 more employees than it has hired, the report said.
An additional concern is the rising number of retirement-eligible employees, projected to increase from 24% in 2024 to 43% by 2029. Marad officials report that these vacancies and impending retirements make it increasingly difficult to fulfill the agency’s mission.
To mitigate these workforce challenges, the GAO report noted Marad’s steps to improve recruitment and retention. The agency has expanded hiring flexibilities, launched employee engagement initiatives, and developed a recruitment and outreach plan. In July 2024, Marad hired a contractor to develop a strategic workforce plan, expected to be completed by September 2025. This plan aims to address long-term workforce sustainability and skill gaps.
The report found that while Marad has taken initial steps toward strategic workforce planning, it has yet to fully implement key principles. A primary concern is that Marad has not fully assessed critical skills required for future operations, GAO said. The report highlighted how individual program offices, such as the Office of Shipyards and Marine Engineering, anticipate a growing need for expertise in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The report also said Marad has not yet determined how it will evaluate and address these skill gaps across the agency.
Without a comprehensive strategy for assessing and addressing future workforce needs, GAO expects Marad to face difficulties meeting its mission objectives.
GAO has issued four recommendations to Marad, which include conducting a thorough assessment of critical workforce skills, developing a strategy to address anticipated skill gaps, strengthening workforce planning efforts to ensure future workforce sustainability, and implementing a framework for evaluating workforce planning effectiveness.
According to GAO, Marad’s workforce challenges highlight the need for a well-defined strategy to attract and retain talent while ensuring the agency has the necessary skills to support the U.S. maritime industry. The forthcoming strategic workforce plan will be a crucial step toward addressing these issues. However, the GAO report notes that without fully implementing workforce planning principles, Marad risks continued staffing shortages that could hinder its ability to meet economic and national security objectives.
