Staffing[edit]
USAID's global U.S. "direct-hire" staff—those with career contracts—include Civil Service staff in Washington as well as U.S. Foreign Service Officers. The size of this staff was about 3,900 in 2012. An additional 400 U.S. staff work under contracts for shorter periods, typically two to three years. (By comparison, the State Department's U.S. workforce currently numbers about 19,000.)
USAID's host-country staff, who normally receive one-year contracts that are renewed annually, make up the majority of the Agency's global workforce (57% in 2009).[14]
USAID Foreign Service Officers are selected competitively for specific job openings on the basis of academic qualifications and experience in development programs.[15][16] (This recruitment system differs from the State Department's use of the "Foreign Service Officer Test" to identify potential U.S. diplomats. Individuals who pass this test become candidates for the State Department's selection process, which emphasizes personal qualities in thirteen dimensions such as "Composure" and "Resourcefulness." Note that no specific education level is required for appointment as a diplomatic Foreign Service Officer in the State Department).[17]
In 2008, USAID launched the "Development Leadership Initiative" to reverse the decline in USAID's Foreign Service Officer staffing, which had fallen to fewer than 1,000 worldwide.[18] USAID's goal was to double the number of Foreign Service Officers by 2012.[19] USAID currently has about 1,700 Foreign Service Officers (compared to 13,000 in the State Department).
Finally, note that many more people work on the projects that USAID assists than just USAID's staff. In even a single country, many thousands of people in local communities and government agencies work on projects that receive USAID's assistance. Furthermore, when USAID provides technical assistance, the number of staff contracted to support local communities and government agencies is usually considerably larger than the number of USAID staff who oversee the assistance.