What’s Next for the State and Local Government Workforce
Getty Images/Luis Alvarez
Route Fifty will explore the major workforce trends affecting government at our free virtual State of the SLG Workforce summit.
Vacancies. Resignations. Retirements. Burnout. Stress. These are some of the words most associated with the current state and local government workforce.
As states, cities and counties begin to usher in a post-pandemic workplace, their success will hinge largely on their employees. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic has forever altered the landscape of the state and local government workforce. The combination of concerns for health and well-being, increased workloads, retirements and the larger national workforce trends are leading to a wave of employee departures. And a recent Mission Square Research Institute survey finds that 52% of state and local government workers are considering voluntarily leaving their jobs due to Covid-19 either to change jobs, to retire or to leave the workforce entirely.
As job recovery in state and local government continues to lag, attention is turning to hiring and retention efforts. However, outdated hiring practices, inflexible work environments and inadequate salary and benefits packages are making it more difficult for government employers to stand out to potential employees.
Despite the bleak outlook, SLG employers have opportunities to revitalize the work environment and experience to become an employer of choice.
So, what does the future of the public sector workforce look like? And how can SLG employees modernize their work environments to offer employees flexibility, inclusivity and equity in order to become an attractive employee to the next generation?
Join Route Fifty as we explore these questions and more next Wednesday, June 29 during the free virtual State of the SLG Workforce summit. Featured speakers include:
- Mayor Jake Spano, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
- Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities
- Jennifer Fairweather, Human Resources Director, Jefferson County, Colorado
In addition to our main event, we will debut the Route Fifty lab, an interactive focused discussion for government leaders to solve a particular challenge they are facing. In this inaugural lab, we will facilitate a discussion among government officials from across the country on how they can create, nurture and lead a hybrid workforce.
Alisha Powell Gillis is the senior editor at Route Fifty.
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