A national job center that focuses on city, town, and county management has new data showing that job prospects continue to improve for top local government administrators.

During the first eight months of 2015, the ICMA Job Center carried nearly 385 listings for professional local government manager positions, up 69 percent from the same period in 2010, the first full year after the Great Recession ended.

Although hiring levels are not expected to return to pre-recession levels, the Job Center carried its largest number of management and management track listings since the economy recovery began in June 2009:

 

  

Job titles represented include chief administrative officer, assistant chief administrative officer, city manager/administrator, assistant city manager/administrator, town manager/administrator, village administrator, deputy village manager, township manager, county manager, and deputy county manager.

An ICMA survey of 1,000 of its members released in June 2015 found that the overall median base salary for chief appointed officials (CAOs) in city-type government is $125,000; for county CAOs, it is $140,000.

“One of the reasons for the increasing number of vacancies, other than the improving economy, is demographics,” says Job Center Director Rob Carty. “Many current managers who were inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural call to public service are now facing retirement.”

A 2012 ICMA Survey of the Profession revealed that among responding local government managers, 88.5 percent were age 41 or older, while only 5 percent were age 35 or younger.

This shift in demographics will also mean significant changes for local government workplaces, according to “Next Generation Professionals: An Inside Look at What Matters to Them,” an article published in ICMA’s August PM (Public Management) magazine. Good management, culture, and the quality of coworkers are more important than compensation and benefits to younger workers, and local government managers will need to look for ways to not only attract but also retain top performers.

The ICMA Job Center is the only online job board that concentrates solely on local government management and management-track positions. It also carries listings for such positions as department heads, managers, and analysts that can lead to the top administrative job.

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About ICMA

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build sustainable communities that improve people’s lives. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to nearly 10,000 appointed city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of individuals living in thousands of communities throughout the world, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.

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