Report Gauges Undergrads’ Interest in Public Sector Careers

MissionSquare Research Institute has studied the public sector talent pipeline since 2009.

In recent years, MissionSquare has conducted surveys focused on various aspects of career planning and recruiting, attitudes toward careers in public service among government fellowship applicants, and why younger workers enter the public sector and why they stay.

A new MissionSquare report gauges undergraduates’ attitudes toward careers in public service, and finds many undergrads expressing an interest in a career path that includes spending time in the public sector.

In a survey of 606 respondents from institutions including Arizona State University, the University of Central Florida, Idaho State University, Indiana University and the University of Oregon, 51% said they have at least some interest in public sector employment.

Educational goals “do not appear to be a determining factor regarding career aspirations,” the report read, “as students pursuing a bachelor’s degree are about equally likely as students pursuing a master’s or other professional degree of saying they are least somewhat interested in the public sector.”

For example, 28% of students working toward a bachelor’s degree indicated they were “somewhat interested” in public sector career opportunities, with 10% saying they were “very interested.” Among those pursuing a master’s or professional degree, 35% and 5% said the same, respectively.

In addition, the researchers found that even those who don’t consider the public sector their “projected employment track” were likely to express at least some interest in public service. That included 36% of respondents who said they weren’t sure of their future employment sector, and 26% who identified only private and/or non-profit sectors as their professional preference.

When asked to rank a number of factors that would impact their choice of work sector, 69% ranked salary as their top priority, followed by work-life balance (47%) and the personal satisfaction one derives from their work (31%).

The researchers did, however, find “some key differences between those who indicated working only in the public sector or only in the private sector.”

For instance, salary was more likely to be among the top three factors for those targeting the private sector, while those leaning toward a public sector career were more likely to prioritize work-life balance, the ability to do meaningful work and workplace culture.

“There are plenty of talented candidates. The challenge is identifying those who are interested in the public sector, particularly when you are looking beyond those who are already pursuing a degree in public policy or administration,” Gerald Young, senior researcher at MissionSquare, and the study’s lead researcher. “The undergraduates in this survey were generally open to public sector employment, but often not aware that such opportunities existed within their fields.”

Noting that students who had previously served in part-time or volunteer capacities within the public sector were more likely to be interested in full-time employment, Young also suggested that governments may want to broaden their internship or apprenticeship programs to include more disciplines “and actively market to those who had previously worked in temporary or summer jobs.

“Students in majors like accounting, engineering or information technology may not be familiar with the functioning of state or local government,” Young added. “To attract such candidates, it may be helpful to emphasize the non-political nature of the jobs, the positive aspects of the workplace culture, the full value of salary and benefits, and the opportunity to do meaningful work.”