Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
(Image credit – House Appropriations Committee)
Top Appropriator Looking to Address Looming Lab Workforce Shortfall
MAY 30, 2019
Worried about an impending wave of retirements at the national laboratories, House appropriations subcommittee chair Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) announced last week she is interested in supporting a broad initiative to train a new generation of elite scientists.
Science Policy Analyst
Just before House appropriators advanced their latest spending legislation for the Department of Energy last week, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) paused to address the need to prepare for an impending wave of retirements in the scientific workforce at federal laboratories. Kaptur has considerable influence over DOE’s 17 national laboratories as chair of the subcommittee that prepares the House’s spending proposals for the department.
In her remarks , Kaptur also raised more general concerns about the U.S.’ ability to develop its domestic scientific workforce and declared her interest in pursuing an initiative that spans subcommittees with responsibility over science agencies. She began,
I just wanted to say to the entire committee, there’s one area I’m really uncomfortable with — we didn’t address it heavily in this bill because I don’t have the formation of the idea complete in my mind — but just know I’m deeply worried as one member about the ability of our country to recruit Americans to work at the highest levels of science in this country.
“So I am looking for ideas,” she continued. Pointing to the military academies such as West Point as one potential training model to consider, she added, “Why couldn’t the country think about how to piece together an initiative that would help to draw young people into the sciences and using the power of our research labs?”
Problem particularly acute at national security labs
NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty speaking at a May event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the agency’s Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program. On the left is Los Alamos National Lab Director Thom Mason.
(Image credit – NNSA)
Among the federal labs facing significant staffing challenges are the three overseen by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration: Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories. Together they certify the safety and reliability of the current nuclear weapons stockpile and support a broader portfolio of scientific research.
NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty has stressed the labs’ growing workforce needs at several congressional hearings this year. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month , she noted that more than 40% of NNSA’s workforce will be eligible for retirement over the next five years at a time when the agency is facing its heaviest workload since the end of the Cold War. Underscoring the challenge, she said,
Los Alamos is looking to hire 1,000 people this year. Sandia is looking to hire 1,000 this year. Livermore is looking to hire 500 people. We’re talking about really thousands of people in our workforce, not only in the next five years, but now, in order to handle the increasing workload that’s on us.
Gordon-Hagerty said it is crucial that NNSA develop a new paradigm for recruiting given the magnitude of its staffing needs. She explained the agency is experimenting with new mechanisms to attract and develop technical talent. These include partnering with universities to develop training programs for specific areas of need, such as radiological technicians , and holding much larger recruitment fairs that leverage rapid hiring procedures.
“We’re finding different ways of trying to resource, if you will, or source the next generation, the best and brightest. And those are scientists, those are engineers, those are technicians,” she said.
