As of June 30, 2009, the Department of State employed 62,743 people worldwide. These employees consist of Foreign Service generalists and specialists, who work primarily overseas, civil servants, who work primarily in the United States, and Locally Employed Staff, all of whom work overseas. As of June 30, 2009, there were 13,553 civil service and Foreign Service personnel working domestically and 7,952 working abroad.
Foreign Service officers (FSOs) or generalists are part of a professional service that implements the foreign policy of the United States at embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions at 269 locations worldwide, as well as in Washington, D.C. They use their specialized knowledge and skills to advance specific objectives, protect U.S. citizens abroad and support American business interests. FSOs serve in one of five cones: political, economic, public diplomacy, consular and management. As of June 30, 2009, there were 6,899 generalists in the Foreign Service.
Civil Service employees support America’s foreign policy objectives as part of a career service based in Washington, D.C., and other locations within the United States. They provide essential continuity and expertise at all levels of the institution. Among the hundreds of Civil Service career possibilities in the Department of State are such specializations as business management, finance, economics, and accounting, engineering, foreign affairs and international policy and operations, human resources, information technology, and legal, international and domestic security, office support professionals, and Senior Executive. Some civil servants occasionally serve overseas in hard-to-fill positions. As of June 30, 2009, there were 9,487 civil service employees employed by the Department of State in the United States and overseas.
| Category | Foreign Service | Civil Service |
| Career Duration | Up or out | Lifelong |
| Location of Work | Primarily overseas | Primarily domestic |
| Office Location | Mobile: move every 2-3 years | Stable (not necessarily same job, but longer duration) |
| Grade/Rank | Grade in person (the lower the number, the higher the rank) | Grade in position (the lower the number, the lower the grade) |
| Location in Department | More in regional bureaus | More in functional bureaus; other U.S. locations |
| Union | American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) | American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) |
| Changing Personnel Systems | Tenured FS have non-competitive eligibility; present practice to require FS to compete under Merit Promotion | Mustang Program (GS 12 and below), Civil Service Mobility Program, CS to FS conversion program, may also take FS exam to qualify for entry level |
| Retirement | Permissive: 50/20, 55/10. Mandatory at age 65 | Eligibility depends on system-CSRS vs. FERS; no mandatory retirement age |
| Authority | Foreign Service Act (1980) Agency Regulations | Government-wide federal Laws/regulations |
| Entry | Foreign Sercive exam once a year (written and oral), enter in groups | Education/experience used to qualify for a position; ongoing process; exams |
| Specialty/Position | Assigned to a specialty | Assigned to a position |
| Entry Level | Enter at lower level | Enter at any level |
| Promotions | Promotions panels—once a year | Career ladders, merit promotions/upward mobility, acceleration of duties/reclassification of position |
Foreign Service Specialists provide unique services in support of foreign policy through technical, support or administrative services at one of approximately 269 posts worldwide, in Washington, D.C., or elsewhere in the United States. Foreign Service Specialist jobs count 19 career tracks falling within seven categories, including: administration, construction engineering, information technology, international information and English language programs, medical and health, office management and security. Specific numbers of employees serving in those categories in the Department as of June 30, 2009, were:
| Diplomatic Security Special Agent | 1745 |
| Office Management Specialist | 795 |
| Information Management Specialist | 728 |
| Information Technology | 144 |
| General Services | 219 |
| Security Engineering | 178 |
| Financial Management | 179 |
| Facilities Management | 171 |
| Information Technology/Manager | 310 |
| Human Resources | 112 |
| Security Technical Specialist | 112 |
| Diplomatic Courier | 99 |
| Health Practitioner | 92 |
| Construction Engineer | 71 |
| Medical Officer | 50 |
| Information Resources | 29 |
| English Language Programs | 26 |
| Psychiatrist | 18 |
| Medical Technologist | 11 |
| Printing Specialist | 4 |
| Other | 26 |
| TOTAL | 5119 |
Locally Employed Staff (LES) are foreign nationals and other locally resident nationals (including U.S. citizens) who are legally eligible to work in that country. They are hired by U.S. diplomatic and consular missions overseas to advance the work of the mission in that country. These essential employees perform vital services for U.S. Foreign Service personnel and ensure the effective operation of our diplomatic posts. They provide unparalleled local-country knowledge and language skills as well as long-term continuity to U.S. missions abroad. As of June 30, 2009, the Department of State employed 41,238 LES overseas (both Direct Hires and those engaged through Personal Service Agreements), almost two-thirds of the Department’s entire workforce.
