Crunch Time: Addressing the Public Sector Workforce Crisis
Here's the TL;dr on dealing with the ongoing, growing problem of attracting talented people to government work
It’s the worst-kept secret among folks who work in government: It’s getting harder and harder to find new/other folks to work in government.
How hard? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 575,000 job openings in state and local government in December 2022, compared to 195,000 hires. While the private sector recovered jobs lost during the pandemic, state and local government had 450,000 fewer employees in January 2023 than in February 2020.
Gulp.
To provide one example, Hawaii’s civil service sector is grappling with a vacancy rate of 27 percent! Overworked employees are struggling to fill the gaps, exacerbating the strain on the workforce, and diminishing morale.
So, what to do? Here’s the TL;dr from three articles I’ve come across that offer thoughtful solutions.
There Are No Quick Fixes
But you already knew that. In the Governing essay A Road Map for Dealing With Government’s Workforce Crisis, author Robert J. Lavigna lays out a number of recommendations to fix the problem. Here are three takeaways.
Acknowledge the Magnitude of the Problem: We are in a crisis that threatens essential services and public safety. From emergency response to law enforcement and public transit, staffing shortages have real and immediate consequences. Urgent action is needed to attract and retain talent to ensure the effective functioning of government agencies.
Comprehensive Solutions: There is no silver bullet. Solutions include increasing pay to remain competitive, reforming hiring practices to focus on skills rather than arbitrary qualifications, and prioritizing employee engagement throughout the employment lifecycle.
Importance of Data-Driven Decision-Making: By collecting and analyzing data on employee experiences, organizations can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to enhance recruitment, development, engagement, and retention efforts. Do you do exit interviews? If so, plug them into a tool like ChatGPT and ask it to look for commonalities.
Work with Employees to Find New Ways to Deliver More with Less
Implementing the ideas above takes time — notably increasing pay. So why not figure out a better way to get the necessary work done by engaging with the people most familiar with the work?
“Line-level civil servants can do really amazing things when they’re given the tools,” says Sam Higgins, principal analyst with Forrester Research. “We have to make sure that not all the interesting work gets outsourced and goes out the door, so that we can offer not only an interesting package, but also interesting work. We don’t want big government. What we want is capable government.”
This may be the holy trinity of GGF: We want interesting work. We don’t want big government. We want capable government.
Higgins’ quote came from a piece written by Alan Greenblatt, editor of Governing, headlined, Workforce Shortages Provide Opportunity to Rethink Service Delivery.
Here are three more takeaways.
Modernize Recruitment and Onboarding: Governments need to invest in modern technology to streamline recruitment and onboarding processes, enhancing efficiency and productivity. The first impression many potential employees have of your organization is the employment application portal. Make sure it’s not kludgy.
Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Yes, we’re taking another swing at that deceased equine. But to compete with the private sector, governments must offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. Pride in public service may attract some workers, but superior remuneration in the private sector poses a significant challenge to government recruitment efforts.
Rethinking Work Arrangements: Embracing innovative work arrangements, such as the four-day workweek, can improve job satisfaction and productivity among government workers. By prioritizing employee well-being and providing meaningful work opportunities, governments can address retention and recruitment challenges effectively.
That employee well-being piece is huge — maybe not on recruitment but definitely on retention. Expect a deep dive on that issue in a future GGF.
Kids These Days … Can Be Hired to do Government Work with the Right Incentives!
Route 50 had a great article this month on the importance for government agencies to adapt their recruitment and retention strategies to attract Gen Z, people born between 1997 and 2012. By 2025, they’re expected to comprise more than 25 percent of the global workforce.
I especially love the headline, Catching Zs: 4 ways to tap the incoming wave of young workplace talent. You’ll notice some overlap with the above recommendations in these three takeaways.
Digital Engagement: To attract Gen Z talent, government agencies must utilize social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for recruitment efforts. By employing language and imagery that resonate with Gen Z’s preferences, agencies can effectively engage with potential hires. Additionally, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning recruiting tools can help identify young job-seeking talent.
Social and Cultural Alignment: Gen Z prioritizes social and cultural values, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability in their job choices. Employers should emphasize opportunities for diverse backgrounds and showcase their commitment to these values in job listings. Providing opportunities for Gen Z to drive change on social issues and aligning public service with their values can attract them to government roles.
Digital Tech and Personalization: Gen Z expects seamless, mobile-enabled, and highly personalized digital experiences throughout the recruitment and employee journey. Public sector employers should invest in robust digital tools for job applications, collaboration, communication, and skill development. Offering remote work options, flexible hours, and personalized training resources can enhance the employment experience for Gen Z hires.
The digital experience matters. God bless our friends at GX Foundry for their leadership on this front.
In Other’s Words
This quote is a great one to keep in mind when thinking about implementing some of the trickier recommendations above. It’s from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits1.
I think about decisions in three ways: hats, haircuts, and tattoos.
Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.
Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. That said, don’t be scared of a bad haircut. Trying something new is usually a risk worth taking. If it doesn’t work out, by this time next year you will have moved on and so will everyone else.
A few decisions are like tattoos. Once you make them, you have to live with them. Some mistakes are irreversible. Maybe you’ll move on for a moment, but then you’ll glance in the mirror and be reminded of that choice all over again. Even years later, the decision leaves a mark. When you’re dealing with an irreversible choice, move slowly and think carefully.
If you’re scared that what you think is a haircut is actually a tattoo, then take this advice from the late Terence McKenna. Be bold.
Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.
The last word is from author and podcaster Glennon Doyle, on the courage to be yourself.
Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.
Onward and Upward.
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Will,
I believe you have the solution: inspire Gen Z.
Gen Z are idealists.
When we give them a VISION
of life-generating towns, cities and counties
built up and created by local government they can believe in,
they will invest themselves in realizing that vision.
They will become servant leaders
in making life-generating neighborhoods a reality.
THANK YOU for writing this piece! While I feel like we've done a good job of addressing this issue on our team and in the Franklin County Data Center, I think the rest of our county's operations have NOT dealt with this and are suffering all the problems you've identified. I also agree will all your fixes.
For tech hiring specifically, I wrote about this last August... https://medium.com/@jmproffitt/to-hire-in-government-it-cover-the-basics-but-promote-the-meaning-of-your-mission-912ea8af539f
My local summary observation (which is entirely mine privately) is that nearly all government agencies are doing 2 things wrong:
(1) They are paying too little (although the healthcare and retirement benefits are awesome)
(2) They are failing to hire good managers and leaders that are capable of developing individuals, teams, and organizations, which is driven in part by #1
All other ill effects flow from this one-two punch. Number 1 starts the problem and Number 2 perpetuates it.
Got a weak recruiting and hiring process? Bad management.
Can't articulate the value of a public service career? Weak leadership.
Can't attract labor to even the most basic jobs? Uncompetitive wages... because leadership can't make the case for raising the pay OR poor leadership can't see why they should listen to the managers below them and raise those pay rates. (This could also be driven by cynical politicians who get elected on platforms claiming that only they can cut government "waste" despite having no idea what they are talking about, then they kill any pay increases while in office.)
All of this comes together in a flywheel effect. Low wages beget low-motivation employees who become low-motivation managers and deal with "we've always done it this way" leaders.
Escaping downward spirals is really, really hard. We did it in my little corner of government, but most teams can't do it on their own or can't sustain it over time. It requires top-down leadership changes and real managerial experience. Sadly, a lot of elected officials are good at getting elected, but not good at leading, so the problem is easily perpetuated.
This is why electing people that care about government effectiveness is crucial. That's the best way to actually improve effectiveness -- "hire" for it!