We’ve written columns for a variety of publications over the years ranging from the late, lamented Ladies’ Home Journal to Forbes to Government Finance Review. The problem in the column business has been that we’re always hopping from one topic to the next and can rarely even remember what ran last week or last month in which publication.
That’s why we’ve been grateful that Route Fifty gave us the opportunity to devote a great deal of time over a few months to assembling a three-part series about the Future of Work in state and local government. That meant that we were able to read through hundreds of pages of reports and talk with dozens of individuals from private sector consultancies, membership associations, local and state human resource departments and other agencies to share their insights about the future of government jobs.
The three pieces ran over the course of the last three days, and there are plans to convert them into a Route Fifty e-book later this month.
Today’s B&G Report provides links to and brief descriptions of the three columns. We’re proud of them and have been getting many positive reviews from readers. Our friend and colleague Don Kettl particularly delighted us when he tweeted this about the second of the three: “Not only is this a supremely important article--a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of government. The state & local research gives great insight into the issues plaguing the federal government, too. You gotta read this!”
Here are the three parts of the series:
The Future of State and Local Government Jobs: Public sector workplaces are expected to look much different in the coming years with major implications for employees and agencies. In this column, we outlined the broad trends including the drive to artificial intelligence and automation, remote work, generational change and the ongoing difficulty in hiring and keeping a qualified workforce.
Change Is Inevitable: How governments adapt to a transforming -- and potentially difficult -- future for employers and employees is critical if they are to effectively and efficiently deliver services. Here, we wrote about the need to reskill employees, alter the structure and focus of jobs, fix inefficient hiring practices, diversify the workforce and eliminate unnecessary silos.
No Field Will be the Same: There’s no escaping from an evolving workforce, regardless of the department or agency. But the ways in which they adjust will be different depending on the field. We describe some of the clear signs of change that are already beginning to be visible in finance, technology, administration, human services and front-line jobs like those in police and fire.