More people, better tools: The two-part strategy for stronger state tech

New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Hawaii recently launched recruiting campaigns to entice laid-off federal employees to fill long-standing state government job vacancies. By offering streamlined hiring processes, flexible schedules and credit for prior federal experience, these states hope to add seasoned public sector talent to their ranks.

It's a smart move, but staffing alone won't solve the deeper challenges facing government IT teams.

Residents expect public sector digital services to be as fast, seamless, and secure as private-sector offerings. Meanwhile, public sector tech teams juggle legacy systems, mounting cybersecurity risks, and tight budgets. Even the most capable new hire can't do it all — not without better tools.

That's why automation and artificial intelligence-powered platforms — especially for tasks like software testing — are critical. These tools aren't about replacing jobs; they're about removing roadblocks to allow skilled IT professionals to focus more on improving services and less on repetitive tasks. 

Tech Talent is Hard to Find and Harder to Keep

For years, staffing shortages have been a persistent problem for state and local governments. The recent campaigns to woo former feds are just the latest attempt to put fresh eyes on jobs that sometimes stay vacant for weeks and months after posting. 

New York has more than 7,000 open roles, Pennsylvania has about 5,600, and Virginia has 4,500. Qualified candidates often opt for higher-paying private-sector jobs while government employees list burnout, increasing workloads, and limited advancement opportunities as their reasons for leaving.

According to a National Association of State Chief Information Officers survey, workforce issues are among state CIOs' top 10 priorities for 2025 — and for good reason. Tech roles are some of the hardest to fill. 

The demand for software developers, data scientists, cybersecurity analysts and quality assurance testers is projected to grow well above the national average over the next decade fueled by digital transformation efforts across all sectors, according to CompTIA's “State of the Tech Workforce” report. Recruiting is hard now, but competition will intensify.

Automation as a Workforce Multiplier

At many agencies, team members pitch in to handle help desk support, security issues, system maintenance, and testing tasks regardless of their job title. They need tools that simplify their jobs, not add to their to-do list. Automated software testing, for example, shifts the burden of repetitive, time-consuming processes off staff so they can focus on higher-value priorities.

Rigorous testing isn't just a pre-launch activity; successful IT projects incorporate it throughout the entire software lifecycle. Even small failures can lead to big service disruption, but many local governments lack the in-house capacity to keep up. Low-code, automated testing platforms offer a practical solution, allowing lean teams to expand test coverage, improve reliability, and keep pace with the rapid deployment cycles of Agile, DevOps, and other modern approaches.

In short, tools like these give smaller teams the ability to scale at speed. With shorter testing cycles and fewer errors in production, agencies can deliver software that works the first time and avoid embarrassing at-launch failures.

How Blending People and Platforms Builds Capacity

North Carolina offers a clear example of how people and tools working together can expand what government IT teams can deliver. The state's Department of Health and Human Services revamped its testing strategy to support NC FAST, a portal designed to simplify access to benefits like Medicaid, food stamps and child welfare. By automating nearly 3,000 tests, the team cut regression testing time by 30% and reclaimed over 40 hours per release.

End-to-end testing, in particular, has become a significant pain point for state and local agencies. Traditional methods are time-consuming, brittle, and often fail to keep up as systems evolve — especially when applications span mainframes, custom-built tools, and commercial platforms. Modern, low-code, AI-powered platforms offer a more cost-effective path to more stable, scalable testing across complex environments.

That's the power of combining smart hires with smart tools. Platforms that integrate into existing ecosystems are ideal for resource-constrained agencies trying to move fast without compromising quality. And they're gaining traction across industries: nearly 75% of organizations are already using or plan to use AI and machine learning for test automation, according to the “World Quality Report 2024-2025” by Capgemini, Sogeti and OpenText.

As the demand for public sector digital services grows, agencies can't afford to rely on staffing or tools alone. The future of resilient government IT lies in blending both: empowering skilled teams with platforms that help them move faster, work smarter and deliver services residents can trust.

Ben Baldi is senior vice president of global public sector at Tricentis.