Border Agents Not Secure in Their Jobs, Report Says
Turnover among new recruits reportedly approaches 30 percent.
By Garry Kranz Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Borderline Failure: Despite intensive training efforts, the U.S. Border Patrol
is seeing turnover among agents spiral upward, especially with those new to the
job, according to a story by The Associated Press. Roughly one in three agents
quit within 18 months of completing required training, putting the agency in
continual mode of recruitment. Bad schedules, long hours and being forced to
work far from home are chiefly to blame. Turnover appears to have surged as the
Border Patrol nears a target of 18,000 agents by the end of the year, double the
number from eight years ago. The result of the churn is that 42 percent of
agents have less than three years on the job. Preparing a newcomer takes time as
well as money: The report cites an estimate by the Government Accountability
Office that taxpayers pay nearly $15,000 to train each new agent.
Workforce Management contributing editor Garry Kranz is based in Richmond, Virginia. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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