LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT CHANGE BY CATEGORY,* 2016-2026

STATE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT CHANGE BY CATEGORY,* 2016-2026

STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE TRENDS: 2016–2026

2009-2018: HARD TO FILL POSITIONS (DETAIL)

Corrections, a subset of public safety, is projected to decline (-9.8% in state agencies and -5.8% in local agencies), along with industries impacted by automation. The clerical and parking sectors are projected to decline by 17% in local agencies.

Among specific positions, IT staffing is projected to keep pace with the broader trends for state/local employment; jobs such as application developers are likely to grow at a faster pace. Within the clerical category, executive secretaries represent the area of most notable decrease.

Change management is a top strategy for state and local government employers to adapt to their workforce and hiring needs. They are modernizing their operations, revamping their hiring practices, engaging their employees, and using social media and updated branding to reach a younger, more diverse talent pool.

Public employers face recruiting challenges due to low unemployment and the dearth of qualified candidates for many positions. Since 2009, the share of agencies identifying key positions as being hard to fill has more than doubled. For skilled trades, for example, the percentage expressing difficulty in hiring has risen from 1% in 2009 to 21% in 2018.

PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT GROWTH THROUGH 2026*

STAFFING PROJECTIONS, SELECTED POSITIONS 2016-2026*

STAT

E GOV 3.8%

LOCA

L GOV 7.4%

Source: State and Local Government Workforce: 2018 Data and 10 Year Trends, Center for State and Local Government Excellence,http://bit.do/SLGE18WF

Overall employment levels of most state and local governments positions are projected to increase; a few, such as clerical and corrections jobs, are likely to decline.

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

Inspecto

r

Professionals

Tech

nician

Manager

Public Safety/

Correctio

ns

Operations

Supervisor

Staff

Clerical

7.6%

7.2%

7.0%

6.1%

5.7%

5.4%

5.2%

4.8%

-5.9%

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

Inspecto

r

Tech

nician

Professionals

Operations

Staff

Manager

Supervisor

Public Safety/

Correctio

nsCleric

al

5.5%

-3.3%

2.5%

2.6%

2.6%

3.3%

3.5%

-12.1%

-5.0%

* U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Current Employment Statisticsi 93 percent of managers and 46 percent of service workers had paid sick leave benefits in March 2017, BLS, https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/93-percent-of-managers-and-46-percent-of-service-workers-had-paid-sick-leave-benefits-in-march-2017.htm; and Robert W. Van Giezen, “Paid leave in private industry over the past 20 years,” Beyond the Numbers: Pay & Benefits, vol. 2, no. 18 (BLS, August 2013), https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-2/paid-leave-in-private-industry-over-the-past-20-years.htmii 13 percent of private industry workers had access to paid family leave in March 2016, BLS, https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/13-percent-of-private-industry-workers-had-access-to-paid-family-leave-in-march-2016.htm, November, 2016.

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

2018201520122009

Skilled Trades

Engineering

Policing

Health Care: Nursing

Firefighting/Emergency Medical

25

20

15

10

5

0

5

10

15

20

Executive secretariesCustomer service representatives

Software application developers

18.1%

14.1%

-3.4%

-6.6%

-19.5%

-22.2

%

Local State

27%

22%21%

13%11%