“We all feel the pain.”

That is how a local government HR director described the impact of the government workforce crisis.

While the private sector has recovered the jobs lost during the pandemic, the public sector continues to struggle. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 526,000 vacancies in state and local government in October but only 157,000 hires, a gap that has stubbornly persisted each month. The estimate of 1.5 jobs for every job seeker in the U.S. is a particularly acute problem in the public sector.

More evidence of the crisis:

• A national survey by MissionSquare Research revealed that 59% state and local government employees were considering leaving their jobs voluntarily, 77% said that vacancies have put a strain on their workloads, and 34% characterized the strain as significant.
• According to software company NEOGOV’s analysis of 45 million applications for government jobs, the average number of applicants per vacancy declined from 54 in 2019 to 24 in 2023. Moreover, half of these jobs only attracted an average of 5.5 applicants, and some of these were not qualified.
• Not surprisingly, 75% of public-sector HR directors told NEOGOV they are not getting enough qualified applicants and 78% reported that this shortage is driving employee burnout. According to these directors, the impacts of this vicious cycle are low morale, excessive overtime costs, increased use of contractors, project delays and—most critical—reduced government services and service quality.

What Job Seekers Want

To attract talented people, government must understand what job seekers want.

NEOGOV’s survey of applicants for government jobs found that 58% identified benefits as the most important factor in choosing a job. But they’re not thinking about benefits like pensions and health insurance, where government usually has a competitive advantage.

Instead, the top benefits job seekers listed were flexible work hours, remote work options, four-day work weeks and extra vacation days.

And employers—the competition—are responding. According to Gallup, 81 percent of employees in the United States who can work remotely are doing so (52 percent hybrid and 20 percent full-time).

Employ.com’s national survey of employees and job seekers further revealed job seekers’ expectations. About 85% said they are “open” to other jobs and 43% are “actively looking.” Perhaps most striking, 41% reported they would be comfortable quitting without having another job lined up.

Other highlights from the Employ survey:

• Job seekers expecting the application process to take no more than 30 minutes total 80%.
• By the day after they apply, 60% expect to receive an automated email, 27% expect a personal email and 11% a phone call.
• A total of 73% said they assume they have been rejected (and will look elsewhere) if they don’t receive an update within two weeks after they apply.
• When respondents were asked what they like least about the hiring experiences, “length of time” was number one (65%) followed by “lack of transparency” (60%).

How Government Must Respond

These research studies have important implications for government agencies struggling to attract, and retain, talent. Employees are continuing to reassess how to balance their work and personal lives. As a government employee told me recently, “I want a job, but I also want a life.” Employees are willing to vote with their feet if their organization fails to meet their needs. Job seekers want faster hiring, better communication, and flexible work arrangements.

To respond, government should:

• Advertise jobs on popular job boards in ways that will attract candidates who want purpose and to make a difference (i.e., not just cut and paste position descriptions and post as “ads”).
• Create attractive career/job pages that showcase culture, values, mission, and organizational outcomes (i.e., to build and promote a positive brand).
• Use social media for marketing and branding, and to reach passive candidates.
• Highlight the organization’s focus on employee well-being and workplace flexibility, including for jobs that can’t be done remotely.
• Streamline the candidate experience, including using technology to create more efficient and user-friendly processes. For example, make it easy for job seekers to apply and receive updates on their smartphones.
• Communicate with candidates throughout the process.
• Expand applicant pools by recruiting aggressively, eliminating arbitrary degree requirements, and being more flexible about overlooking résumé gaps.

Another overlooked aspect of recruiting is that what happens internally affects the organization’s reputation. That’s how brands are built – positively and negatively – in our social-media-mad world.

According to another national survey, up to 69% of job seekers would reject a job offer for an organization with a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed.

What this means is that organizations must strive to create positive cultures because great places to work attract great talent.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration proudly lists, on its career web page, 21 awards it has received for being a great place to work, including being designated as the best place to work in the entire federal government. In other words, if you want to work in a great place, work at NASA.

Succeeding in today’s demanding labor market requires new approaches. And meeting this challenge isn’t just HR’s job. It is everyone’s responsibility—especially the organization’s leaders—to create a great place to work that will attract and retain talent in government.