Survey: More college grads want to work in government

As the class of 2024 marches down the aisle to receive their college diplomas, there is some good news about graduates’ interest in the public sector. A new report finds that the number of students applying for government jobs increased across all sectors compared to 2023.

And make no mistake about it, that is good news as the public sector continues to struggle to attract and retain talent, including among young people. As I travel the country speaking about how government organizations can become employers of choice, time and time again audience members talk about the hurdles they face.

The report by Handshake, a recruiting platform focused on college students, summarizes the views of more than 2,600 students preparing to receive bachelor’s degrees from 66 U.S. colleges and universities. In addition to learning that more graduates are applying for government jobs, the survey results also offer several takeaways that could help government understand how to meet the challenge of attracting young talent to the public sector. The Handshake survey found that:

• Students’ top priority was job stability (76%) Other priorities were positive employer reputation (72%) and work flexibility (61%).
• A majority (75%) reported that they read employer reviews before applying and 73% said they were more likely to apply after seeing behind-the-scenes content from the employer, such as a “day in the life” video.
• Students reported they worry about burnout as they enter the world of work (61%).
• More than a third (37%) reported that they worried about paying their student loans.

Takeaways for Government

There is much in this survey to unpack to help government compete for talent in today’s tough job market.

Perhaps surprising—but good news for government—is that students identified job stability as their top priority. Ultimately, it’s not necessarily about money or the fun perks that high-tech firms have become famous for. As one former employee of a tech firm named a great place to work recently told me, “Sure, it’s a great place to work except when they lay you off!”

Public-sector organizations, therefore, should aggressively market stability as a key differentiator in the competition for talent.

As the Handshake survey also shows, reputation is key to attracting young talent. Another survey similarly found that up to 69% of jobseekers would reject an offer from an organization with a bad reputation even if they were unemployed. Think about that—a bad reputation is a knockout even for the unemployed.

As I’ve often said, government needs an extreme branding makeover to counter the mythology that its jobs are boring and bureaucratic. Public-sector employers need to market their jobs as opportunities to find purpose and make a difference. That means not just posting job “ads” that cut and paste position descriptions with seemingly endless lists of tasks and requirements. No wonder a job seeker would conclude that the job is boring. Job ads are not position descriptions. Instead, they are marketing messages that should put the organization and the job in the best light to attract applicants.

According to Michael Hurwitz, CEO of the job site Careers in Government, “Recruiting is marketing, and the product is the job.”

Of course, ads should be accurate and realistic. But not stodgy, boring or bureaucratic.

Other research has revealed that job seekers form their opinions about the organization’s reputation through social media and online reviews on job sites. According to Glassdoor, a leading site, 65% of users read at least five reviews before forming an opinion about an employer. Another survey revealed that 55% of job seekers stop pursuing a job after reading negative reviews.

In other words, what goes on inside the organization affects how people outside the organization view it.

How to Step Up Your Hiring Game

The Handshake report is encouraging news about what college graduates are seeking in the world of work. It also shows that government must step up its recruiting and hiring game. Specifically, this and other research shows that government should:

• Approach recruiting with a marketing strategy that involves a multimedia approach to sell (not a bad word) both the organization and the job.


• Craft job ads that emphasize the opportunity to make difference, and don’t just list a series of duties and requirements. Emphasize that public-sector jobs can offer the kind of job security most jobs in other sectors simply can’t.


• Create and share “day in the life” videos that highlight real employees and the difference they make in the lives of the people their organization serves.


• Understand your organization’s reputation and what employees and others are saying in social media and on job boards. Take the feedback to heart—and respond if you can. According to Glassdoor, 80% of users say their perception of an organization improves after seeing the employer respond to a review.


• Collect and analyze data on applicants. That is, understand who you are attracting, who is advancing in your process and who isn’t. Are the best candidates staying in or dropping out? If it’s the latter, identify and fix whatever isn’t working.


• Create a great place to work that will not only retain employees, but also attract them. Organizations certified as great places to work by the UKG Great Place to Work Institute have dramatically increased the number of quality job applicants—and also have 50% less turnover.


• Provide workplace flexibility—it’s a priority of the soon-to-be graduates. Not only remote work where possible, but also scheduling and time off flexibility for employees who can’t work remotely. It means giving employees the ability, through self-service, to manage important aspects of their work life such as scheduling and time off.


• Offer college loan repayment programs, if possible. They can give you a leg up on the competition.

As the Handshake research shows, young people seek stability and flexibility. They also want work with purpose. Government agencies can—and should—deliver on all three. Those that do will become employers of choice.