Federal job ads reveal expanding Schedule P/C conversions beyond senior roles
Analysis of recent USAJOBS postings shows agencies labeling a growing share of lower-grade positions as Schedule Policy/Career, suggesting the rollout is extending past the originally targeted senior staff.
A new executive order signed by Donald Trump moved about 8,000 positions from the competitive service into the excepted Schedule Policy/Career (P/C) track, converting those employees to at-will status and stripping them of Merit Systems Protection Board appeal rights and independent whistleblower review. Since the order's June implementation, officials have only disclosed that most conversions involved senior leaders, leaving the broader impact unclear.
The Partnership for Public Service analyzed more than 130 USAJOBS ads mentioning Schedule P/C and identified at least a dozen listings at the GS-13 level or below, indicating the category is being applied to lower-grade roles. Errors such as TSA screeners being mislabeled were reported, and several agencies, including the International Development Finance Corporation and the Energy Department, indicated pending or conditional conversions. Critics argue the opaque rollout and reduced civil-service safeguards could damage morale and make federal jobs less attractive to new graduates and private-sector talent.
Why it matters
The expanding use of Schedule P/C could erode civil-service protections and affect federal hiring and morale.
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