Pennsylvania’s HIRE Committee Seeks Next Generation of Public Servants

Since taking office in January 2023, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has prioritized expanding job opportunities within state government.

Within weeks of being sworn in, for example, Shapiro signed an executive order that eliminated degree requirements for more than 90% of all Pennsylvania government roles.

“I want to make it clear to all Pennsylvanians, whether they went to college or they gained experience through work, job training or an apprenticeship program: we value your skills and talents, and we want you to apply for a job with the Commonwealth,” Shapiro said at a press briefing announcing the directive.

That order was Shapiro’s first upon taking office. His most recent executive order, signed in May, establishes the Hire, Improve, Recruit, Empower (HIRE) Committee, and seeks to further expand opportunities for Pennsylvanians seeking public service careers, to continue “to build a competitive Commonwealth workforce, and make state government the best place to work in the Commonwealth,” according to a statement.

The same statement notes that roughly 24% of the Commonwealth’s workforce in agencies under Shapiro’s jurisdiction will be eligible for retirement in the next five years. The HIRE Committee’s focus will be to “ensure the Commonwealth can make progress on attracting the next generation of public servants, compete with other employers in a competitive labor market, recruit and hire for historically hard to fill jobs, and ensure the Commonwealth’s workforce is representative of the diverse backgrounds and beliefs of Pennsylvania’s residents.”

Chaired by Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver and consisting of cabinet secretaries and senior Shapiro administration officials, the committee plans to work with Pennsylvania agencies toward a number of goals, such as:

⃰ Developing a pilot program to create financial incentives to help recruit Commonwealth employees with non-English language proficiency for key roles where language proficiency is needed.

⃰ Continuing to build creative recruitment strategies for the Commonwealth’s most hard-to-fill jobs.

⃰ Developing a mentorship and networking program to support recently discharged veterans entering or returning to Commonwealth employment.

⃰ Creating an inclusive workforce in state-owned buildings by directing an accessibility study of the Harrisburg Capitol Complex to improve mobility in and around the Capitol Complex for individuals with disabilities.

⃰ Expanding childcare options in state-owned buildings to support working parents.

“We need to do everything we can right now to attract the best and brightest to public service to lead our Commonwealth into the future. We want to hire Pennsylvanians form all backgrounds, beliefs and walks of life, so that our workforce continues to represent over 13 million residents,” said Weaver, in a statement.

With the creation of the HIRE Committee, and the state’s ongoing recruitment and hiring efforts, “we are positioning the Commonwealth to be a model employer and a destination for employees who want to make a difference through their work.”