Staffing shortages affect nearly every industry. Organizations have grown faster than the population and workers have more career flexibility than ever, making it challenging to attract and retain enough staff. While many conversations about this trend center on private industry, the public sector faces challenges, too.

Identifying Staffing Shortages

Job openings in most private sectors have dropped since 2022, but government openings have risen. Separations are also keeping pace with new hires, suggesting high turnover rates.

Addressing these staffing challenges starts with identifying them. If you suspect you’re experiencing this trend in your organization, there are a few ways to tell.

Start by reviewing your office’s mission statement and goals. That way, you’ll know what you should accomplish and what skills you need. Then, compare this to your current workforce. Are employees struggling to meet the organization’s goals? Do people lack the required skills or experience? Do they feel overworked? If so, you could have a critical staffing shortage.

A drop in employment numbers doesn’t necessarily mean you’re experiencing a shortage. However, if falling employment hinders other workers’ ability to fulfill their roles safely, efficiently and to a high-quality standard, it’s likely a shortage.

How to Address Public Sector Staff Shortages

Options exist to help public sector organizations experiencing a labor shortage. Here are a few steps to reduce turnover and attract new talent.

Minimize and Streamline Workloads

Your first step should be to review how you currently handle regular tasks. Shortages aren’t as impactful if employees can accomplish more in less time. Automation can help your office do just that.

Organizations typically lose 62% of the workday to repetitive, mundane tasks like filing, emailing and data entry. These processes are easily automatable with current off-the-shelf tools. Automating these time-consuming, unengaging tasks leaves workers with more time and energy to accomplish what really matters.

Where automation isn’t possible, look for ways to streamline processes so workers can finish them more easily. It’ll also be easier for employees to feel like they’re doing something important when mundane tasks don’t take as much time. That’s crucial for government jobs, especially when preventing turnover.

Provide Benefits Workers Want

It’s also important to provide competitive benefits and compensation. Higher wages can help, but money isn’t always workers’ top concern when choosing or leaving a job.

Flexibility is one of the most important things to offer. Over 60% of employees today prefer working in a hybrid environment, so consider letting people work from home some days. Similarly, enabling flexibility in how workers complete tasks helps them work to their unique strengths and needs.

Career development opportunities are another big benefit to consider. Many employees leave positions because of the lack of upward mobility. Upskilling programs also help the workforce adapt to shifting needs and can make them feel more fulfilled.