In the past older employees would often jump at these packages; now not so much. This economy is grim, with many unable to retire at all. I suspect most workers, realizing they have no value in the real world except as Wal-Mart greeters, will instead remain in these jobs to keep the income streaming in - there are no performance metrics anyway, and no consequences for failure )like public school teachers). The fact that buyouts even have to be offered indicates how entrenched they are.
From Foreign Service Journal:
There is no denying that our leadership ranks are being depleted at a dizzying speed, due in part to the decision to slash promotion numbers by more than half. The Foreign Service officer corps at State has lost 60 percent of its Career Ambassadors since January. Ranks of Career Ministers, our three-star equivalents, are down from 33 to 19. The ranks of our two-star Minister Counselors have fallen from 431 right after Labor Day to 369 today—and are still falling.