Workforce
This state is shrinking the public-private pay gap for state workers
Nationally, public employees earn nearly 15% less than their private sector peers—including benefits.
Want your community to be climate resilient? Put someone in charge.
COMMENTARY | As billions of federal climate dollars flood state and local coffers, governments need people in place who have the authority to coordinate, fund and carry out a plan to build resilience.
These counties are recruiting teenagers to shore up a corrections guard shortage
Two counties in Texas house training programs in local high schools as officials pitch corrections jobs as gateways to criminal justice careers.
An experiment to help newly arrived migrants and asylum-seekers find work isn’t cheap—but doing nothing might cost more
COMMENTARY | A Denver pilot program aims to increase the odds that migrants will secure employment as soon as they’re allowed to work.
Threats to election workers as November nears detailed at congressional hearing
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said lies and misinformation about election results make election workers afraid to go about their daily activities "because we don’t know what might be lurking in the buses.”
Emergency responders struggle with burnout, budgets as disasters mount
Climate change has rewritten the script for disasters.
Humans of Public Service inspires a new generation of government employees
About 850,000 state and local jobs went unfilled last year, as public agencies struggle to find workers. This nonprofit is using social media to entice them.
Voters will decide minimum wage ballot measures in several states
Measures focused on workers who earn tips and on paid leave have drawn more opposition.
How California crafts a public-sector skills-based employment ecosystem
COMMENTARY | An enterprise statewide employment network should make public sector recruitment better and more efficient.
Heat deaths highlight stark differences in state policies protecting workers
Some states like California, Oregon and Washington have passed strict protections for workers in high temperatures. But Idaho, which produces over $10.8 billion worth of agricultural products each year, hasn’t.
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Most workers make about the same as before the pandemic—except in these states
Montana, New Hampshire and Florida had the highest wage growth since 2019, an analysis found.
How cities are rethinking who responds to 911 calls
Big cities have largely embraced so-called alternative response teams that send trained health care professionals in the place of law enforcement to handle low-risk situations. Now, the approach is moving to smaller jurisdictions.
The public sector is (finally) filling more vacancies, report finds
State and local governments have found success with a number of hiring strategies, easing long standing workforce shortages that started with the pandemic.
Looking for tech talent? Broaden your search, experts say
As governments struggle to close the IT skills gap, one state’s cybersecurity program stands out for who it is encouraging to participate.
Stigma is hindering treatment of opioid addictions. States can change that.
The health care workforce is key to treating patients' opioid use disorders, but experts say stigma toward drug use and treatment among medical professionals remains a barrier to treatment access and positive outcomes.
Gen Z thinks government should solve societal issues. Is it ready to hire them?
The workforce’s youngest generation has a desire to address major problems. This creates a unique opportunity for state and local governments.
Small towns are paying remote workers to move in
With remote work apparently here to stay, rural communities are trying to attract new residents with everything from cash to potlucks, and farm-fresh eggs.
What is generative AI? Most of the public sector workforce doesn’t know
A recent survey found that only about a third understands the technology, and that even fewer use it daily. But a few basic approaches could change that, experts say.
Skills-based hiring smashes through ‘paper ceiling’
Multiple states have embraced a movement to drop degree requirements for certain jobs. But the change is not as simple as a stroke of a pen.
Stackable certificates could be a lifeline for governments facing an IT talent crisis
COMMENTARY | In an era of breakneck digital transformation, this incremental and cumulative approach to upskilling could be the answer to states and localities' hiring woes.
