Employee hiring and retention strategies are essential tasks for organizations. HR professionals spend around 73% of their time on administrative activities which are manual and repetitive. Cumbersome HR processes make it harder for public sector organizations to hire and retain talent.

Recruiting and onboarding take longer, which can result in talented applicants abandoning the hiring processes. Plus, current employees struggling with antiquated internal systems may accept a job at a more tech-forward company in the private sector.

To improve recruitment and employee retention in the public sector, you need a fresh approach.

Recruitment and Retention Needs Rising

With evolving workforce expectations, a competitive job market, and a shortage of skilled professionals in key sectors, attracting and keeping top talent is more difficult than ever. Employers in nearly every industry face hurdles such as high turnover rate and meeting their employees’ needs while still meeting business objectives. These challenges are compounded by how quickly technology advances and requires changes to stay competitive. 

To navigate these obstacles, there are recruitment and retention strategies that work and can be tailored to specific needs. From using more recruitment channels to fostering a culture of growth and inclusion, you can create a fresh and comprehensive approach to overcoming the challenges of hiring and retention. Investing in creative recruitment and retention solutions, you can help draw people to your organization and build long-term loyalty and engagement.

Understanding Recruitment and Retention Challenges in The Public Sector

An analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that there are 695,000 fewer people employed in state and local government jobs than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s clear the public sector is experiencing a labor shortage crisis. Existing employees are exiting faster than new ones are entering.

There are three factors contributing to the current talent deficit:

1. Competing against the private sector

The private sector tends to offer more appealing remuneration packages. Plus, a better employee experience and more opportunities for advancement. On the other hand, public sector organizations have a reputation as being bureaucratic and uninspiring. They also offer lower salaries and limited growth opportunities.

2. Burnout and the great resignation

Government employees faced enormous pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic. As working conditions took their toll on workers, some hit burnout and quit. Many of these employees have reevaluated their priorities and are unwilling to accept jobs that no longer fit their values.

3. Baby boomers are exiting the workforce

Most baby boomers are over 60 and retiring, leaving a gaping hole in the workforce. Replacing the boomers presents new challenges, as many job seekers want flexible working conditions. A survey by Virtual Vocations showed that nearly half of Gen-Xers and Millennials search for remote work on job boards.

When revising your recruitment strategy, it’s important to understand what dissuades people from joining or remaining in the public sector.

Importance of Recruitment and Retention in the Public Sector

While the public sector is currently facing hiring challenges, it’s important to focus on strategies to overcome these in this industry. Public sector roles often deal with limited budgets, rigid hiring processes, and competition from private companies offering higher salaries and more flexible benefits. In addition, some candidates may have a negative perception of bureaucracy that makes it harder to attract some of the best people in the industry. 

The high turnover rates in public agencies can cost you and decrease operational efficiency when you lose someone with key experience or unique knowledge. The loss of institutional knowledge—an important resource in government roles—can create gaps in expertise that hinder work, delay projects, and disrupt public programs. That’s why retention is so important: it helps you retain institutional memory. By prioritizing strategies to attract and retain skilled individuals, public sector organizations can build a more resilient workforce equipped to address the evolving needs of their industry.

Employee Branding and Recruitment Strategies

To attract talented candidates, you may need to rebrand your organization into an employer of choice and revamp your recruitment strategy.

Explore Different Recruitment Channels

Expand your job advertising beyond the usual government job boards to other recruitment channels, such as:

• Local community forums
• Industry-specific job boards like an IT job board
• Social media channels
• Traditional media like newspapers and television

Other ways to find candidates include:

• Headhunting
• Networking events
• Job fairs and career expos
• Partnerships with educational institutions
• Cross-recruitment with other public sector organizations

Enhancing the Candidate Experience

Government employee hiring processes are notoriously long and exhaustive. By the time you select a candidate, they may have abandoned the process or accepted a job elsewhere. You can improve the candidate experience by digitizing the recruitment process.

Here’s how automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can make the recruitment process more efficient:

• Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, can help you draft appealing job ads optimized for different recruitment platforms. You can also use these tools to create candidate personas that target candidates more strategically.
• Automated selection eliminates time spent manually sifting through applications and removes unconscious biases in candidate selection.
• Candidates can keep track of their applications online.
• Once you’ve hired a candidate, the system can automatically send letters of regret to unsuccessful candidates.

Host Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Creating a workplace of belonging starts with your recruitment and retention strategies. To hire a diverse workforce, you’ll likely need to try new strategies. Some ways you can improve your recruitment this way include: 

• Use blind resume reviews. Removing identifying information such as names and schools from resumes during the initial screening process can help to reduce unconscious bias and reassure applicants that your process is fair.
• Write bias-free job descriptions. Craft job descriptions that avoid gendered or culturally exclusive language to encourage a broader range of applicants. 
• Partner with key organizations. Build relationships with groups like the National Urban League, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, and the National Association of Women Business Owners to access diverse talent pools.
• Host community engagement events. Host job fairs, networking sessions, and workshops in underrepresented communities to connect with diverse candidates directly.
• Create employee resource groups (ERGs). Create ERGs to support your employees and provide a safe space for dialogue and career development. Consider compensating group leaders to help these groups thrive.

Look To Internal Hiring and Employee Referrals

One of the best ways to improve your hiring strategy is to look inward: hiring internally and toward employee referrals. When you promote internally, you’re able to keep institutional knowledge, and your leadership team will have years of experience working with your organization. On top of that, it can feel rewarding to your employees to see that there are opportunities for growth at your organization, and that can help boost retention. 

• Employee referrals can actually be more effective than traditional hiring methods. In fact, it’s estimated that for every 100 applicants, employee referrals generated 70% more good hires than through traditional channels. Consider having a reward system to incentivize your employees to refer people they know who might be a good fit. You might also include a spot on your application where a candidate can indicate if they were referred to your company.

Employee Onboarding and Retention Programs

If you want to retain employees, you need to improve the employee experience. You can do this by:

Improving Your Onboarding Process

Starting a job at a government organization often involves a lengthy induction program. Digital onboarding tools like virtual reality and gamification apps are creative ways to train new employees quickly.  

Creating a Collaborative Culture

A collaborative workplace culture brings employees with different skills and competencies together in teams. This can make employees feel valued and improve employee engagement.

Embracing Flexible Work Arrangements

Work-life balance is important to employees. When choosing between two similar positions, 80% of U.S. workers would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexibility.

You can’t offer remote working to all public sector employees, but you can provide flexibility in other ways.

These include:

• Flextime arrangements that allow employees to set their workday schedule.
• Hybrid work models that enable employees to split their time between the office and working from home.
• Sabbaticals and study leave to pursue advanced degrees.
• Time off to attend to a personal crisis.

Key Takeaways

The public sector is grappling with a labor shortage crisis, making it essential for employers to understand the motivations of prospective and current employees. By aligning hiring and retention strategies with these motivators, public sector organizations can better attract and retain talent, ensuring workforce stability and resilience.