State Department union ‘deeply concerned’ about new hiring practices

The professional labor union for the State Department expressed deep concern on Wednesday over the Biden administration’s decision to remove a key exam as the barometer for entry to employment at the agency.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and labor union for the Foreign Service, said the group was not consulted ahead of the Biden administration’s decision to alter requirements for prospective Foreign Service Officers. 

This includes the administration’s decision to no longer view a pass or fail on the Foreign Service Officer Test as a determining factor to move on to the next stage of the hiring process.

“The Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) has been a key component of the State Department’s intake system since the modern U.S. Foreign Service was created in 1924,” AFSA said in a statement. 

“Eliminating the requirement of passing the test as a part of this process, and without any consultation with the relevant union (AFSA) or other employee groups, goes against both the letter and the spirit of many commitments made by this administration to its public servants,” the group continued.

AFSA further said that it “remains concerned that these unilateral changes risk being seen as excessively subjective and subject to partisan influence.”

The changes to the hiring process at the State Department are expected to take place beginning with the June 2022 Foreign Service Officer (FSOT) test takers, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the change reflects the Biden administration’s efforts to “modernize American diplomacy” and expands the hiring focus for a “more holistic approach” to focus on a candidates’ education and experience and “full picture of their qualifications.”

The change was announced as the State Department welcomed last month its largest class of incoming Foreign Service Officers, just under 200 people, Price said.

“And we expect this year to be the best year for our intake in a decade. It is the most significant change to the Foreign Service selection process since 1930, and we anticipate this change will result in identifying a more qualified pool of applicants,” he added.