GUEST COLUMN.

One of the most important issues that I regularly encounter as Dean of a public service college is a crisis in recruitment and retention of public servants.  There is a lot of great work being done to fill the vacancy void and to help existing employees step into new roles.  Gone are the days when a leader could take a person “under their wing” and mentor them over a period of years for their position.  How do we fill these gaps and how do we build the strongest possible public service sector? 

Something must be done. Some of the stories of the crisis are sobering.  A recent report by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) noted over 1,000,000 government vacancies.  In my work around Maryland, I frequently hear of state agencies with double digit percentage vacancies and local governments facing challenges filling vacancies in a host of fields.  One large county in our state reported having over 1,500 open positions.  At a 2023 gathering of our nation’s Federal Executive Boards, it was reported that less than 10% of the federal workforce is below the age of 30.  That was noted as the lowest percentage in recorded federal history.  Certainly, a low unemployment rate makes finding employees harder, but the problem is not new, and it is not that simple.

My response: There are incredible benefits for higher education institutions and governments if they build deeper relationships, learn from each other, and partner on innovative solutions.

For years, higher education institutions and public service sectors have connected when mutually beneficial, but there is still a big gap of knowledge on both sides.  Many of us don’t frequently partner, work together, or take the time to listen to each other. Many feel uncomfortable sharing problems.  And sometimes a special connection we’ve built transfers to another agency or retires.  My presence in places like the Maryland Municipal League, Maryland Association of Counties, and Maryland Nonprofits, Inc. always results in a warm welcome, but very few “like me” were there…or sometimes ever there.   For me, as a bit of an extrovert, being in a new place with new public service friends to make was exhilarating.  However, my new friends were also asking with curiosity, “why is he here?”

For someone like me who loves helping students, I must say I was giddy to share with them that I had students looking for work, policy research opportunities, and exciting programs that might help them advance into leadership.   I was also much giddier to share with my students that there were cool jobs everywhere.  My excitement, however, made something sound simple that hides complexity. 

By listening to my students, I quickly learned that it depends on the field as to where there is opportunity.  Those fields exist in majors all over a university and not all of those fields partner with public service. They report arcane, slow and confusing hiring processes that frustrate.  Some might get an interview for a job they really wanted, months after accepting a job in the nonprofit sector.  Some exciting jobs come across boring in title and description.  Pay rates in some fields are very unattractive and uncompetitive. Some of our students simply don’t know at all what is out there or why a job in “Agency X” might be exciting.  Finally, there is the big elephant in the room of whether government is really the best place “for me” to fight addiction, protect public safety, end climate change, do accounting work, or to make a difference in solving the major problems of today.   

While these problems and perceptions exist, a lot of work has been done to improve things and it is not all a problem of the public service sector.  Educators need to engage, listen, learn and we need to “show up” and engage. What skills are needed in agencies today? What types of programs and education do public servants need?  Are our programs accessible enough to their employees? Are our career centers accessible and knowledgeable of the sector?  What barriers exist in finding and attracting our students?  Do our students have the professional skills to work in an ever-changing public service?  How can higher education do a better job of letting students know that virtually every problem that they are passionate about has an important role in public service?  Finally, how can public service leaders help educators do a better job of representing public service as the “highest of callings”?   As I have learned more about each of these questions, and still have more to learn, I see that those of us in higher education need to learn more and partner more effectively.

Those of us in higher education have important insights on how to attract our students into the workforce and offer many opportunities to advance existing leaders into higher level positions.  As my colleagues and I engage with public servants, we learn more about our own barriers to our students entering the sector.  I can say with some certainty that there is a lot happening to solve these problems and that partnering, relationship building, problem-solving has brought down barriers.  I hope to explore many of these ideas in a future column and there should be a deep dive on these questions in cross-disciplinary summits among the academy and public service.  Tune in, there is more happening and more to come.

The contents of this Guest Column are those of the author, and not necessarily Barrett and Greene, Inc.

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