Research: Recruiting Might Be Getting Easier for Government Agencies

State and local government agencies have been grappling with talent shortages for some time.

In 2023, for example, the 2023 State and Local Government Workforce survey found public sector employers struggling to find qualified candidates for a number of positions. Among the 249 public sector HR managers surveyed last year, 85% reported they were finding fewer qualified applicants than available openings for corrections officers.

Another 83% said the same about open engineer positions within their agencies, while 79% and 77% indicated they’re not attracting enough qualified candidates for registered nurses’ roles and openings for police officers, respectively.

The new research report, State and Local Workforce: 2024 Survey Findings, suggests that the tide may be turning, and the recruitment game might be getting easier for these same government organizations.

Since 2009, PSHRA^® has partnered with MissionSquare Research Institute and the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE) to conduct the annual survey focusing on the recruitment, retention, compensation and staff development challenges facing state and local governments.

For example, this year’s poll saw the share of government agencies saying they had difficulty filling openings for key roles such as information technology, dispatch and policing decline by at least 10 percentage points since 2022.

The survey, which garnered responses from 300 state and local government HR professionals, also found 63% of public sector HR practitioners saying the size of their full-time workforce has increased in the past year. And, when asked which workforce-related actions their agency has implemented in that same timeframe, the largest number (90%) said “hired employees.” More than 20% reported full-time staffing increases of 5% or more, with just 2% of respondents saying their agencies’ full-time workforce decreased in number.

“The data indicate that state and local governments are making real progress when it comes to addressing their workforce shortages,” said Gerald Young, senior researcher at MissionSquare Research Institute, in a statement. “Government employers have been experimenting with a range of initiatives that are getting results—marketing campaigns, hiring bonuses, pay boosts and modifications to job requirements.”

Indeed, this year’s report found 37% of agencies offering hiring bonuses in a targeted manner or more broadly, with more than half of respondents saying their organizations have dropped degree requirements for some positions, in an effort to expand the talent pool.

PSHRA^® CEO Cara Woodson Welch lauds state and local leaders for their efforts to address public sector workforce challenges.

“Agencies are making real progress on this front,” Welch said. “In terms of attracting and keeping the type of talented, qualified workers needed to deliver essential public services, government organizations are taking significant steps, as evidenced by the results of this research. PSHRA^® and its members will utilize these findings as we continue to implement pragmatic solutions that ensure a stable workforce citizens can rely upon.”