Cambridge Business Association
Building the Government Workforce of the Future
Article

Building the Government Workforce of the Future

Ant Roediger, Jason LaBresh, Victoria Lee, Rainer Strack and Jenny Huang
Boston Consulting Group, 2019
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

How can government agencies attract employees who possess digital and analytical skills and other sought-after capabilities? Competing against the allure – and pay scale – of the private sector isn’t easy, but professionals from the Boston Consulting Group propose a research-backed, five-step plan.

Summary

To find and retain needed talent, government agencies must change their approach to HR.

Today’s government staffers are doing work that requires more digital savvy and agile thinking, and filling positions is becoming a growing challenge. Although government work offers high-impact opportunities – a quality it should keep broadcasting – the sector’s approach to finding and retaining talent is outmoded. Public agencies can no longer expect their mission alone to draw the right talent. They must fundamentally change their HR approach.

Offer public employees more overall value, including a culture that values innovation.

For many public agencies, competing with the private sector’s pay scale is out of the question, but government organizations can offer other kinds of value. A 2018 Boston Consulting Group survey revealed that providing on-the-job learning and a means for career growth were among the top five ways to keep employees happy. Thus, public firms should help create specialists in their workforce, even as these employees move across various...

About the Authors

Ant Roediger, Jason LaBresh, Victoria Lee, Rainer Strack and Jenny Huang are professionals with the Boston Consulting Group.

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