Workforce outlook: Survey shows public sector leaders value talent strategies

How do you create a workplace where people want to work and stay? Baker Tilly conducted a survey with public sector leaders around the topic of recruitment and retention, two ongoing challenges faced by human resource teams across industries. With unemployment rates low, organizations need to reimagine how, where, when and by whom work is getting done.

Recruitment strategies

Winning employees over in a competitive market
When prospective employees have a plethora of options, it's difficult to set your organization apart. While working to recruit new team members, employers are relying heavily on employee compensation with a combination of non-monetary benefits, like flexibility and increased emphasis on community culture.

When inquired about how organizations are adapting executive-level recruitment requirements to meet the challenges of the labor market, the prevailing response highlighted a focus on flexibility, particularly in terms of candidate experience and location.

A significant portion of their workforce is nearing retirement eligibility, underscoring a compelling necessity to incorporate inventive recruitment solutions as an integral component of their broader workforce planning strategy.

Retention strategies

Keeping employees engaged in your organization
Recruiting employees is the first step but keeping them engaged with the organization and the work they are doing, is equally as important. Survey respondents prioritized three major areas of focus when driving retention in their organization; compensation strategy, workforce engagement and workforce flexibility. How can employers entice prospects to choose their organization over another when it comes to compensation?

The survey found that employers with fully engaged employees are the same organizations who prioritize continued training and development. Employees stay where they see opportunities.

2/3 of employers have added flexibility for when or where employees can work while 1/3 require 100% return to the office. The primary cause for not implementing work location or hour flexibility was a lack of leadership or council support.

As the number of retirees increases and the competitive workforce, organizations must continue to pursue and adopt creative ways to attract and retain employees to reach their company’s goals.

For more information, or to learn how Baker Tilly’s public sector talent management specialists can help your organization, contact our team.