{"id":26937,"date":"2023-10-02T20:37:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T20:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/02\/opm-extends-authority-to-make-it-easier-to-hire-cyber-ai-candidates\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:13:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:13:20","slug":"opm-extends-authority-to-make-it-easier-to-hire-cyber-ai-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/career-management\/2023\/10\/02\/opm-extends-authority-to-make-it-easier-to-hire-cyber-ai-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"OPM extends authority to make it easier to hire cyber, AI candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Office of Personnel Management is extending and updating a five-year-old hiring authority to help agencies recruit more efficiently for jobs in STEM positions, cybersecurity<\/a> and acquisitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2018<\/a>, OPM first issued the authority to help agencies bring on candidates faster in areas where there were critical skills shortages. <\/a>The benefit of direct-hire authority is that agencies can skip over requirements of the recruitment process, like competitive rating, veterans\u2019 preference and vacancy questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, in an effort to recruit for emerging fields like artificial intelligence, OPM added data science and operations research occupations under the authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 80% of federal agencies report having vacancies on their IT security teams, according to a survey of 106 security professionals and executives at U.S. federal agencies by Swimlane, a supplier of automation software to industry and government.<\/p>\n\n\n\t