Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Talent in the Public Sector

In 2024, public sector organizations are particularly affected by the demographic changes and the decline of population. Early career employees have been told that they can expect to not only change jobs but also change careers. It is imperative for local public sector leaders to break through long-standing models of public employment to a way of working and providing benefits that attract the best and the brightest while balancing the needs of the public they serve. Public sector organizations exist to serve the public. Ensuring that the right people are in place to deliver high-quality services is essential.  

Strategic workforce planning, the process of aligning an organization’s talent with its long-term goals and objectives, helps to maintain service levels even as demands and circumstances change. 

The most important reason to undertake workforce planning is to identify and nurture talent that is crucial for maintaining a capable and motivated workforce. Strategic workforce planning enables better talent management through proactive recruitment, development and retention strategies. In addition, public sector organizations often operate under tight budget constraints. Strategic workforce planning helps make the best use of limited resources by ensuring that workforce investments are aligned with strategic priorities.  

Strategic workforce planning involves forecasting future workforce needs, identifying gaps between the current workforce and future requirements, and developing strategies to bridge those gaps. This planning ensures that the organization has the right number of people, with the right skills, in the right roles, at the right time. 

Key Components of Strategic Workforce Planning Include: 

1. Environmental scanning: Analyzing external and internal factors that can impact the workforce, such as economic trends, technological advancements and demographic shifts. 
2. Demand analysis: Forecasting the number and types of employees needed to achieve future organizational goals. 
3. Supply analysis: Assessing the current workforce’s skills, capabilities and demographics to understand what is available. 
4. Gap analysis: Identifying the differences between the current workforce and future needs. 
5. Action planning: Developing strategies to address gaps, which may include recruitment, training, succession planning and workforce restructuring, and building in an evaluation loop that signals change that would require adjustment. 

Identifying critical roles and talent pipelines within a workforce is crucial for effective strategic workforce planning. Here’s a step-by-step approach that leaders can use to identify these key elements. 

Conduct a Job Analysis and Assess Impact on Organizational Performance 

• Analyze all roles within the organization to understand their responsibilities, required skills and impact on organizational goals.  

• Determine which roles have the highest impact on the organization’s performance and outcomes. Focus on positions that directly affect strategic initiatives, revenue generation, service delivery and regulatory compliance. 

Evaluate Future Needs 

• Consider how organizational changes and technological advancements might affect the importance of certain roles in the future. 

• Engage with senior leaders, managers and other key stakeholders to gain insights into which roles they view as critical.   

Once there is an understanding of what the talent needs are, leaders should identify talent pipelines within or outside the organization. By systematically identifying critical roles and building robust talent pipelines, leaders can ensure their organizations are well prepared to meet current and future challenges, maintaining a competitive edge. 

The first place to look for talent is within the organization. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current workforce’s skills, experience and potential, and identify employees who are ready for advancement or have the potential to fill critical roles in the future. Implement targeted development programs, such as leadership training, mentorship and cross-functional projects, to prepare high-potential employees for critical roles. Employees who have been thoughtfully developed become the succession plan for key positions. 

The second place to identify a talent pipeline is outside the organization. With which professional organizations and educational institutions do your current employees engage? Do those organizations have young talent? Consider internships, mentoring programs, career exposure and awareness, and professional organization membership sponsorship for emerging talent.  

It is also important to ensure that talent pipelines are diverse and inclusive, reflecting a range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Are there talent pools in the community that have not been considered?  

Data-driven approaches can significantly enhance workforce planning by providing insights, improving accuracy and enabling more informed decision-making.  

A skills and competency analysis can provide valuable insights. The analysis should include: 

• Skills inventory: Maintain a database of current employees’ skills and competencies, updated regularly through assessments and self-reports. 

• Gap analysis: Identify gaps between current skills and future needs. 

• Applicant tracking systems: Analyze data from applicant tracking systems to identify the most effective recruitment channels, sources of high-quality hires and bottlenecks in the hiring process. Make sure that any system or process you use does not unintentionally shut out potential great candidates. (An example would be requiring a bachelor’s degree for a position that may not truly require one.) 

• Time-to-fill and cost-per-hire: Monitor these metrics to optimize recruitment strategies and reduce hiring costs.