Air Force releases more details on hiring freeze

The Air Force has stopped "accepting recruit/fill actions" for civilian jobs without a hiring freeze exemption approved by the Air Force secretary, effective Feb. 7, the service said Thursday.

"All requests for personnel action received by the Air Force Personnel Center by Feb. 7, 2017, will continue to be announced, and referral certificates will continue to be issued," the Air Force added, citing new procedures that support a Feb. 1 memo on freeze implementation.

President Trump implemented the hiring freeze for all executive departments and agencies Jan. 23 and directed the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management to create a long-term plan by May to shrink the federal workforce. Military personnel are not affected.

Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work published the Feb. 1 memo describing which positions can be exempted from the freeze, as well as the process to do so. National security, public safety, and lawfully required exemptions are available, but the Pentagon cannot use contractors to do the jobs of civilian workers.

Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said Feb. 1 the federal hiring freeze could cut the service's civilian workforce by 3 percent in the next four months.

Civilians account for 26 percent of the service's workforce, with nearly 180,000 positions filled, a 96 percent staffing rate, the Air Force said. The service projects more than 13,000 jobs could be vacated by June.