New government data has revealed that while 17 large agencies have sped up their hiring times during the second year of the Obama Administration’s efforts to streamline and systematize federal hiring, three agencies took longer to hire in 2010 than they did in 2009.

The Social Security Administration, the Justice Department and the Small Business Administration all reported longer hiring times last year. Four agencies showed no progress in 2010: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NASA and the Departments of Treasury and Agriculture.

Many agencies, however, are making considerable growth and reported decline in hiring time—from when an agency decides to hire a new employee to that new employee's first day. The Departments of State, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and Health and Human Services all reported a decline in hiring times as high as 40 percent. The average hiring time for Health and Human Services has dropped from 152 to 80 days.

The Office of Personnel Management, which released the latest figures on agencies' hiring times, says agencies should take no more than 80 days to hire a new employee.

Does your agency comply with OPM’s standards? Do you think 80 days is a realistic timeline for government agencies to adhere to? Why or why not?