A recently released report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office recommends that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission establish metrics to gauge whether its recruitment and retention efforts are meeting its current and future workforce needs, as well as complete its work on a strategic workforce planning tool by early 2027.

The report shed some light on the challenges the NRC has faced in recruiting and retaining employees while implementing Executive Order 14300 and 2024's ADVANCE Act while experiencing competition from within the nuclear industry. The agency had a net loss of roughly 500 employees from July 2024 through June of this year, the GAO found.

Further details: The ADVANCE Act includes a provision for the GAO to evaluate how the NRC is using its new authorities for workforce recruitment and retention; these authorities, given to the agency by the ADVANCE Act, include opportunities to direct hire, provide compensation flexibility, and award bonuses for hiring and performance.

According to the GAO, the NRC has used its newfound authority on bonuses to award $335,000 in performance bonuses to 18 staff members between July 2024 and July 2026. The agency, however, did not use its two other options during that timeframe.

Also during this time, the NRC saw its total number of employees decline by more than 16 percent, from 2,957 to 2,477, according to the report. Reasons for this change include the federal hiring freeze at the start of the second Trump administration, a government-wide evaluation of probationary employees, and voluntary and deferred resignations.

For instance, by the end of fiscal year 2025, some 288 people voluntarily resigned or retired, were terminated during the probationary period, or took the deferred resignation path. According to the report, 112 people left the NRC through the deferred resignation program, under which many full-time federal employees agreed to resign or retire by a certain date to retain pay and benefits until their official separation date.

According to the report, NRC officials listed multiple reasons, such as the agencywide reorganization it underwent this summer, to explain why it hadn't used more of its new workforce authorities. Other reasons included the agency's need to conduct a comprehensive workforce evaluation and inventory to identify current and future workforce and staffing needs. Its new strategic workforce planning tool, called NEXUS, will help the NRC gauge performance on this front, the report said.

The GAO is recommending that the NRC complete its work on NEXUS by the end of the first quarter of FY 2027. The report noted NEXUS had been delayed multiple times already.

"By finalizing the NEXUS tool and using it to conduct a comprehensive workforce inventory, NRC can clarify the agency's current and future workforce needs to effectively carry out licensing and oversight activities," the report said. "In addition, when fully implemented, the NEXUS tool could allow NRC to make informed decisions on the best ways to use the ADVANCE Act workforce authorities to improve its workforce going forward."

The report did note some of the NRC's successful efforts to recruit and retain employees. For instance, it has increased the number of applicants eligible for its Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network program and increased the program's hiring frequency. The agency continues to engage with colleges and universities to recruit and train early-career individuals and those interested in nuclear-related careers. Furthermore, the GAO's analysis of NRC workforce data showed agency hirings outpaced agency employee separations in the third quarter of 2026, the first time that had happened since the final quarter of 2024.

The report concluded, however, by stating it is not yet clear if the NRC's authorities on workforce recruitment and retention will ultimately address the agency's workforce needs. This is based on agency and stakeholder feedback, the report said.

"As of July 2026, NRC had not established metrics to evaluate whether its workforce authorities adequately address its needs," according to the report. "Establishing such metrics could help NRC determine if it has sufficient workforce flexibilities, authorities, and tools to meet its current and future needs before the ADVANCE Act hiring and compensation authorities sunset in 2034."

GAO officials provided a draft report to the NRC for review and comment. While the NRC did not provide a formal comment, staff said they concurred with the two recommendations and provided technical comments the GAO viewed as appropriate, the report said.