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NASCIO represents state chief infor-mation officers and informationtechnology executives and man-agers from state governments acrossthe United States. For more informa-tion visit www.nascio.org.

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1The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting and Retaining State IT Employees

NASCIO: Representing Chief Information Officers of the States

The changing nature of the workforceseems to be at the forefront of everyemployer’s mind today. Research studiesand articles abound proclaiming a loom-ing “crisis shortage” of workers and decry-ing the obstacles of today’s multi-genera-tional workforce. Questions regardingthese workforce challenges are plentiful:Will there be enough incoming workers tofill outgoing retiree vacancies? Will theseworkers be skilled enough to take overresponsibilities from seasoned employees,some of whom have been in their jobs fordecades? With IT employment, the avail-able talent pool can often be even smallerdue to ever-evolving skill requirementsthat employers demand.

For state CIOs and other state IT employers,a deeper question remains: Is there a com-pelling reason for new workers to evenconsider a public service IT career? Willapplicants be willing and able to navigatethe red tape and the testing process thatoften accompanies a civil service applica-tion—or will they simply not consider stateemployment? Will they be equipped withthe necessary technical skills for a career instate IT? In recent years, many state humanresources departments have begun to take

a hard look at their hiring processes inhopes to potentially streamline the applica-tion process and overhaul pay scales inorder to entice and retain skilled talent.Some states have allowed certain exemp-tions from traditional merit systems inorder to hire IT employees in a more expe-dient manner than other state employees.Certain states have also revised pay scalestructures for IT employees so that theymay receive compensation comparable tothe private sector. Other states are justbeginning to explore these options aspotential solutions.

For many, the decision to enter publicservice comes from a desire within. Civilservants often feel satisfaction in know-ing they are helping deliver vital citizenservices and contributing to the advance-ment of their state. For others, the pri-mary incentive lies in the generous bene-fits package and relative job security thatstate employment often offers. Both ofthese are crucial drivers in state employ-ment and states continue to tout theseincentives as a way to attract new workers.

In a 2007 NASCIO survey, State ITWorkforce: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?,

The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting andRetaining State IT Employees

NASCIO Staff Contact: Stephanie JamisonIssues [email protected]

state CIOs were asked to gauge the cur-rent workforce situation in their respectivestates. This survey pointed to the conclu-sion that state CIOs are experiencing diffi-culty in recruiting new employees to fillvacant IT positions—over 80 percent ofrespondents indicated they were havingdifficulty recruiting these new employees.1

When asked if their state was confidentthat it will be able to promote qualifiedstaff to replace those retiring, over half ofstate respondents indicated that theywere not.2 Addressing these recruitment—as well as retention—issues that statesand state IT departments are clearly fac-ing is a key factor in tackling workforceturnover challenges at the outset.

RECRUITMENT

State CIOs who explore innovative recruit-ment strategies and modernize traditionalrecruitment methods will have an advan-tage if their state happens to be hit with adisproportionate amount of outgoing toincoming employees. State CIOs can workto reverse this trend by continuouslyreviewing best practices and success ratesof traditional recruitment strategies, andby seeking out alternative and innovativerecruitment methods.

TRADITIONAL RECRUITMENTSTRATEGIES

Print Advertising: Newspaper publicityhas long been the advertising lifeline forboth employers and job seekers. While thisstill remains a common source for jobsearching, moving from print to onlineadvertising is an easy way to reach a wideraudience who may not regularly read printnewspapers. Some newspapers offer theirverbatim print advertisements online, whileothers enlist specialized online employmentsites, such as CareerBuilder. Posting onother job advertisement websites, such asMonster.com or other specialized venues,can help bring traditional advertisementsinto the digital age.

The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting and Retaining State IT Employees2


Student Outreach: High schools, universi-ties and technical schools are fertilegrounds for potential civil servants, andstates must pursue different avenues incourting this untapped talent pool. Thiscan be done indirectly through develop-ing relationships with high school guid-ance offices and university career centers,and also by posting job advertisements onuniversity career websites and job lists.

Directly reaching out to students can bedone by appearing at career fairs to meetwith prospective employees. State CIOscan work to incorporate innovative waysto stand out at these high school or col-lege career fairs—these can include hand-ing out a DVD about state IT employment,making print materials enticing and mak-ing sure your best resources are on handto talk to students and their families.Also, evaluating success rates at certainschools can be an easy way to determinewhere more effort is needed and wheremore resources should be placed.

Internship and Cooperative EducationPrograms: Internship and cooperativeeducation programs continue to drive stu-dents, primarily at the college or technicalschool level, to government employment.By allowing students to get a foot in thedoor early, they gain a greater understand-ing of civil service, and obtain the experi-ence that is often necessary for evenentry-level positions. Additionally, theirsupervisors or colleagues can assist themin navigating through the civil serviceapplication process, should they becomeinterested in full-time state employmentfollowing graduation.

� Internship programs are generallymore flexible than co-op programs interms of length and compensation.Co-op programs generally compen-sate students with a set rate that ispreviously determined; whereasinternship programs vary in terms ofcompensation offered—often, internsare not paid in anything but experi-ence gained. Interns can serve for asemester, a summer, or over a longerspan of time if desired. These programs


The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting and Retaining State IT Employees 3

continue to be an effective way torecruit young employees by allowingthem an inside look at civil servicebefore making a career decision.

Oklahoma’s CAPIP InternshipProgram Proves Successful

The State of Oklahoma’s Carl Albert PublicInternship Program (CAPIP) has assistedstudents at institutions of higher educa-tion in gaining experience and knowledgein state government and to encouragerecruitment of such students to pursuecareers in state government service since1988. The program has two components:the Undergraduate Internship, and theExecutive Fellows. At the conclusion of FY06, a total of twenty-five graduate stu-dents and eight undergraduate studentsparticipated in internships.

The Undergraduate Internship programconsists of temporary positions for stu-dents who are currently enrolled in insti-tutions of higher education and are work-ing toward an undergraduate degree.Executive Fellows interns may beemployed for up to two years; those whosuccessfully complete a two-year internshipare eligible for appointment to a position inthe classified or unclassified state service.State agencies utilized CAPIP’s from a num-ber of Oklahoma schools. For more infor-mation, please visit:www.ok.gov/opm/State_Jobs/Carl_Albert_Public_Internship_Program.html

� Cooperative Education (Co-op)Programs allow students to holdpositions within state governmentwhile earning school credit. Theseprograms are typically compensatedand last for at least one year while thestudent holds a position title and hasspecific responsibilities. These pro-grams are often a formal agreementbetween a university or technicalschool and the state agency in whichthe student is placed.

Tennessee IT Community SeesSuccess with College Co-OpProgram

Tennessee’s IT departments and agenciestypically utilize thirty-five co-op students atany given time. Of the last thirty co-ops toleave the program, thirteen have becomestate IT employees over an approximateone-year period. The students enteremployment with proven desktop, helpdesk,security, and wide area network (WAN) skills.

The students are placed in an entry-levelposition, termed “Information SystemsAssociate.” After one year, these Associatepositions can transition to ProgrammerAnalyst, Systems Programmer, DataDesigner, and others. This position is notrated; therefore everyone is equal on thestate register. This allows agencies to hiregraduating co-ops.

These methods and programs are exam-ples of traditional recruitment methodsthat remain successful. Other recruitmentincentives may include signing bonuses orrelocation assistance. Consistently review-ing best practice components of each pro-gram can help to enhance employeeachievement rates. State CIOs must seekout alternative ways to recruit newemployees in order to remain competitivewith the private sector—utilizing uniquerecruitment strategies will help states stayahead of the curve.

INNOVATIVE RECRUITMENTSTRATEGIES

Generation “Why?” Enticing theNext Generation to State ITEmployment

Enticing young people to enter governmentIT work—and making sure those youngpeople can cut through the necessary redtape to navigate the application process—remains a key component to counteractinga potential decline in IT talent. State CIOs

State CIOs mustseek out alternativeways to recruit newemployees in orderto remain competi-tive with the privatesector—utilizingunique recruitmentstrategies will helpstates stay ahead ofthe curve.

www.ok.gov/opm/State_Jobs/Carl_Albert_Public_Internship_Program.html



must seek ways to answer that one keyquestion from young workers—whyshould I consider working in state IT? It isessential that State CIOs seek innovativeways to communicate the benefits forworking in state IT to this next generationof ambitious, inquisitive and socially-net-worked workers.

To do this, state CIOs must answer a criti-cal question of their own—where can Ifind these young potential employees?Bright, talented and educated youngworkers are out there; you just have toknow where to look. Web 2.0 has usheredin an age in which constant interaction isnecessary and expected. It has changedthe way people socialize with peers andnetwork with colleagues—job recruit-ment is no exception.

Employers at all levels are beginning toexplore unique ways to reach out to mem-bers of Generation Y (typically those indi-viduals 28 or younger) who are vastlyplugged into various forms of social net-working by moving beyond conventionalonline advertising to utilizing social net-works such as Facebook, Myspace,LinkedIn and Second Life. These innova-tive efforts are not limited to the privatesector—after discussions with HumanResources departments, state CIOs arefinding that they can implement some ofthese unique recruiting efforts as well.

Missouri Takes Recruitment to theNext Level of Reality

In December of 2007, the State of Missouribecame the first state in the nation toestablish a presence in “Second Life,” anonline community in which individualsand organizations can create “avatars”which serve as virtual adaptations ofthemselves or their companies. Theseavatars can shop using Second Life (SL)currency (which translates into real dol-lars), socialize with others, attend classesat real universities—and job search.

The Missouri Information Technology

Services Department (ITSD), led by stateCIO Dan Ross, has worked in response tothis growing trend of virtual reality andcreated an online presence in Second Life.Led by the ITSD, in consultation withHuman Resources, this online resourceholds virtual job fairs and seeks to educatethose IT-savvy individuals that areplugged into this virtual world aboutworking in state IT in Missouri.3

Although the program was recentlylaunched, it is already considered a suc-cess by Ross. The national media attentionthat the state garnered as a result of thelaunch of their SL presence has provided aunique marketing aspect that castsMissouri as utilizing leading-edge tools(virtual worlds or social networks) in thehiring of technical talent and in promot-ing the State of Missouri overall.

Additionally, the SL project has enabledMissouri to recruit outside state bound-aries for relatively no cost. In February of2008, the state held a virtual job fair in SLin which they were able to communicatewith people from several states in addi-tion to their own. To date, there havebeen over 300 visitors to their SL site.

However, innovative student recruitmentfor IT careers and state IT employment isnot limited to the virtual world. InArkansas, the EAST initiative (whichincludes the state Department ofEducation as a partner) allows high schoolstudent participants to obtain training in anumber of technical areas including GIS,website design and PC upgrade andrepair. Students engage in numeroustechnical projects that prepare them forpotential careers in IT.4

In South Carolina, the VocationalRehabilitation Department has a programin place that enables physically disabledcitizens to gain extensive IT training inpreparation for a job in IT. Both of theseprograms—and many others nationwide—lay the groundwork for young people toenter into IT careers. State IT departmentscan work to identify programs like these, as



well as other similar initiatives that may bein place in their state, and reach out tothem in order to help raise awarenessabout state IT professions. In turn, theseprograms can then help steer young peo-ple toward public service IT careers in thefuture.

South Carolina Offers Unique ITTraining Program

Since 1984, the South Carolina VocationalRehabilitation Department’s (SCVRD)Information Technology Training Centerhas worked to train and place SouthCarolinians with significant physical dis-abilities in computer-related fields. Theprogram has evolved from its initial mis-sion of training people with physical dis-abilities to work as mainframe computerprogrammers, into a multifaceted pro-gram that trains individuals in ComputerSystems Technology/Programming,Computer Aided Drafting and Design,Business Applications Plus, and PersonalComputer Repair/Help Desk. This trainingallows clients who previously were exclud-ed because of their disabilities to fullycompete in today’s technology-drive jobmarket.

The Information Technology TrainingCenter uses a highly selective process ofscreening applicants to seek out enthusi-astic, ambitious trainees capable of facingthe challenge of the rigorous classroomschedule designed to prepare them forjob readiness in their prospective field. Inaddition to the technical skills offeredthrough the curriculum, students receivetraining in other skills necessary to suc-ceed in the business world throughSCVRD’s Center for ComprehensivePrograms. In the past 21 years, the pro-gram has put 89.1% of its graduates intocompetitive employment, including stateIT employment.

Information about this program came from theSCVRD IT Training Center’s website. For moreinformation, please visit:www.scvrd.net/i_ittc.html.

Beyond Retirement: RecruitingSeasoned IT Workers

State IT departments should concentrateon attracting the younger generation ofemployees, to be sure. However, thisyoung talent pool is largely inexperiencedand will require years of training beforethey can be adequately able to replacethe large number of anticipated retirees.Even the most sound knowledge manage-ment plan can’t substitute for the years ofwork experience of seasoned profession-als that are well-versed in navigatingoffice politics and heavy workloads. In thisregard, states are reaching out to olderworkers in three demographics:� Retired civil servants� Retired military personnel � Private sector workers who are retired

or who desire a career change.

Retired Civil Servants

Career civil servants who have dedicatedthemselves to public service are typicallyeligible to retire at a fairly young age.Young retirees may feel as though theyare not done with the workforce and maywish to return, even on a part-time basis,to either their previous positions or toother departments.

While some states are beginning to incor-porate prohibitions against retirees beingable to return to previous positions inorder to prevent individuals from beingeligible to draw two pensions, many statesdo allow retired civil servants to return towork in some capacity albeit withoutadditional benefits. Re-hiring and utiliz-ing prior staff resources to help imple-ment knowledge management plans,train new staff members on aspects oftheir former jobs, or as contractors toperform certain job functions, can be agood way for states to stave off potentialproblems that can arise when there is ashortage of staff members.

retirees, may feel they are not done work-ing and wish to shift to an employmentenvironment that may offer fewer hoursand better benefits than they had previ-ously received. This prospect can beattractive for both retired and current pri-vate sector employees who wish to makea career change.

“Converting” Contract Employees:Contractual employees for state IT depart-ments often work alongside their stateemployee counterparts every day andstate CIOs have reported success in bring-ing over contract employees to stateemployment. In converting these con-tract employees, state CIOs are not onlybringing in skilled professionals—theyare gaining employees that already havehands-on knowledge of their specificwork process and environment. In someinstances, the lines are so blurred betweencontract and state employees; some maynot be able to distinguish which employ-ees are under which employment system.However, the job stability that stateemployees have can be attractive to pri-vate contractors, especially if the threat ofdownsizing reaches their company.

In the oft-volatile job market, private sec-tor employees are more vulnerable toabrupt lay-offs than state employees, whoare generally protected by merit systemlaws. By following industry trends, publicemployers can target private sectoremployees who are anticipating a lay-offby a downsizing company. In some states,companies of a certain size are required tomeet with the state Department of Labor(DOL) prior to downsizing in order to dis-cuss employee rights, instructing thosedownsized on how to sign up for unem-ployment benefits, how to receive jobtraining, etc. State CIOs can contact theirDOL in order to be advised of potentiallayoffs, particularly those which mayinclude IT employees.

Whether states are reaching out to stu-dents, recent graduates, current or retiredprivate sector employees, retired publicservants or military personnel—statesnationwide can agree that taking steps to



California Allows Former StateEmployees to “Boomerang” Backto Public Service

California’s “Boomerang” program,launched in September of 2006, is a cen-tralized database of retired state employ-ees that have an interest in accepting tem-porary employment within a state agencyas a retired state employee. The databaseallows retirees to detail their skills andareas of expertise and to determine howlong they would like to be a part-timeemployee. State retirees can work for anystate department and state departmentscan use the Boomerang program to iden-tify potential applicants for retired civilservant employment opportunities.5

For more information on this program,California Public Employees RetirementSystem (CalPERS) has released a bookletabout working after retirement which willhelp determine eligibility for theBoomerang program.6

Retired Military Personnel

Retired military service personnel are alsoeligible to retire from duty at a young age.Desire to serve the public is often veryhigh among this demographic and stateemployment can be viewed as anotheravenue in which to serve. Also, in certainstates, working for the state provides anadditional pension beyond their militarypension. Work ethic among these formerservice men and women is typically veryhigh—additionally, military personneloften hold security clearance status andcan be potentially placed into criticalhigh-level or security-focused positions.

Current and Retired Private SectorWorkers

Retired private sector employees whowish to “give back” through public serviceand are looking to make a transition afterretirement can bring a wealth of knowl-edge and experience to the public sector.These retirees, similar to public and military

Whether states arereaching out to stu-dents, recent gradu-ates, current orretired private sectoremployees, retiredpublic servants ormilitary personnel—states nationwidecan agree that takingsteps to ensure asteady flow of stateIT job applicants willaugment state ITservices.



ensure a steady flow of state IT job appli-cants will augment state IT services.However, another challenge facing StateCIOs is not only the recruitment of newemployees, but holding on to those theyalready have.

RETENTION

Often, recruitment and retention benefitscan go hand in hand. The same benefitsand incentives that are used to attractemployees can be used to preserve them.Along with monetary incentives such asemployee referral bonuses and one-timeaward bonuses, these retention incentivescan include:

� Establishing a sound Work-LifeBalance

� Emphasizing the civil service benefitspackage

� Offering educational and learningopportunities

Work-Life Balance

Placing emphasis on work-life balance isnot only about giving employees the abili-ty to manage their time spent on the job,but also about giving employees theopportunity to engage in activities withco-workers outside of the office. Forexample, Missouri’s IT ServicesDepartment arranges an organization-wide outing to a baseball game, otherstate IT departments may organize teamsfor area fundraising efforts, or for otheractivities outside the office. Not only dothese activities enhance a sense of unityamong colleagues, but they allow othersto see that working for your departmentor division is enjoyable. A major compo-nent of this work-life balance is workplaceflexibility.

Workplace Flexibility

Flexible Hours: A flexible workplace canencompass a number of components. Apopular element of this can be flexiblehours in which an employee can work.

Allowing employees to set individualworking hours as long as they are workingduring core business hours, i.e., 7:00-4:00vs. 9:00-6:00, can allow employees to feel asense of control over the way they spendtheir day. Similarly, giving employees theoption of working condensed work weeks,with longer hours on the days they workin order to have more time off, also allowsemployees to feel a greater sense of juris-diction over their personal time manage-ment.

Flexible Work Location: A growing phe-nomenon in workplace flexibility is that ofteleworking, sometimes referred to astelecommuting. Whether an employeeworks from home primarily, or is allowedto do so when the need arises, productivityis able to continue even during emer-gency or other external situations. Oftenemployers find that productivity levelswill increase when employees do nothave to embark on a daily commute, anddo not have to deal with office distrac-tions and internal stressors.

NASCIO’s State IT Workforce survey respon-dents placed Workplace Flexibility at thetop of the list—second only to the benefitspackage—of what attracts new workers totheir state. This suggests that states havealready begun to recognize and implementworkplace flexibility plans.7

Telework!VA Program HelpsVirginia Business EstablishTelework Programs

Telework!VA, launched by the stateDepartment of Rail and PublicTransportation in 2001, seeks to provideresources to allow more Virginians to tele-work. In order to help reduce the numberof commuters on Virginia’s roadways,Telework!VA provides financial assistanceand training for Virginia businesses tostart or expand a formal telework pro-gram.

The Telework!VA program promotes thefollowing benefits to telework:



� Allows employees to be more effective

� Increases management results

� Assures uninterrupted work

� Reduces real estate costs

� Decreases employee recruitment andtraining costs

� Allows for Business Continuity

� Lowers relocation costs

� Increases quality of life

� Lowers personal costs

� Expands your human resource pool

� Benefits the environment8

Teleworking still remains a subject ofdebate among employers. To incorporatea telework process, state policy issuesmust first be resolved, some of which maypose significant obstacles. Employersmust work to overcome doubts regardingremote worker productivity levels andother internal issues that surround tele-work agreements. Tensions can arise ifthere is friction among team members asto which employees are eligible to tele-work and which must remain in the officeon a daily basis. While certain jobs requirean in-office presence, state IT job functionscan frequently be performed off-site.However, there must be a certain numberof people in the office during businesshours, which may create conflict amongcolleagues.

One common concern around telework-ing is that it detracts from a culture ofteamwork, as developing a strong inter-office rapport is often seen as an integralpart of team-building. However, studieshave increasingly shown that teleworkingis a growing movement that is rising inpopularity. Teleworking appears to be atrend that will only accelerate as bothlong-time and incoming employees

advocate for this benefit, emergency andpandemic-preparedness plans continueto develop and as organizations becomeincreasingly committed to incorporating“green” practices such as keeping morevehicles off the roadways. Therefore,these reasons can compel state IT depart-ments to establish telework policies andprocedures and explore alternative meth-ods of team-building.

Benefits Package

In NASCIO’s recent survey, state CIOs wereasked to gauge the current workforce situ-ation in their respective states. Whenstates were asked what attracts new work-ers to their state, the benefits package wasat the top of the list.9 These benefitsinclude comprehensive medical benefits,flexible benefits, deferred compensation,comp leave, substantial sick leave, disabili-ty, life insurance, dependent care, gener-ous vacation policies and personal timeoff, paid holidays, and other forms of flexi-ble benefits. While many of these bene-fits are not necessarily unique to stategovernment, they often serve as a driverfor incoming workers and a retainer forcurrent workers.

These comprehensive medical benefits,and the flexibility to choose “cafeteria ben-efits” that allow employees to pick andchoose those benefits most applicable totheir personal needs, continue to be anattractive incentive to both incoming andexisting civil servants. In addition, manystates are moving to adopt additional“wellness” programs for their employeesto improve their quality of life and to helppotentially reduce medical costs for thestate.

To incorporate a tele-work process, statepolicy issues mustfirst be resolved,some of which maypose significantobstacles.



Kansas Is On a “Quest” toImprove Healthcare of StateEmployees

HealthQuest, a program that is jointlyadministered by the Kansas Health PolicyAuthority and the Kansas State EmployeesHealth Care Commission, offers uniquehealth services to employees and theirdependents. Health screenings, healthcoaching, the Personal Health Assessment(PHA) online tool, programs for TobaccoControl and Weight Management are allpart of HealthQuest and are available forall state employees.

Monthly newsletters offering nutritionaland exercise tips, information regardinghealth and wellness issues, a wellnessblog, and a wealth of other resources onHealthQuest’s website are free for users.10

Retirement and pension plans are also amajor driver and incentive for stateemployment. Public servants can work aset amount of years in order to becomeeligible for a full retirement package, andin some states, this includes full medicalbenefits and coverage after retirement. Instates that do not offer the medical com-ponent, many workers may choose todelay retirement in order to maintainmedical health insurance coverage. Thesestates may face a different dilemma—anaging workforce that simply can’t afford toleave due to rising healthcare costs.

But will young employees, both potentialand existing, think of these benefits in asimilar way? Recent trends indicate areversal of the once-common employ-ment cycle in which an employee maystay in the same job for decades. Youngworkers today are known to be highlydriven to find that “next best thing” andcan often jump from job to job in shortperiods of time, and may not place highvalue in certain benefits such as pensionplans. Will these benefits, along withother benefits such as job stability, beattractive to the next generation ofworkers?

And perhaps more importantly, if so, willthese benefits even be available to theseincoming workers? Due to substantialunfunded liability of pension plans, recentstate trends of cutting back on benefitpackages may mean that the same bene-fits that current state employees enjoymay not be able to be utilized for recruit-ment purposes. Each state, according totheir own needs and situations, will han-dle these issues individually. Civil servicebenefits packages must remain compara-ble and competitive to that of private sec-tor benefits packages in order to attractand retain top IT talent.

Education and LearningOpportunities

One significant advantage that oftenaccompanies state employment is theeducational benefits that employees areeligible to receive in the form of tuitionreimbursement and other opportunitiesto further education and training. Manystates offer tuition reimbursement to indi-viduals receiving both bachelors and mas-ter’s degrees, or offer training in certainareas that are related to their job func-tions. States also offer reimbursement foremployees seeking certain IT certifica-tions. Other states partner with local uni-versities to offer courses in public man-agement for their employees.

Oregon’s Certificate of PublicManagement (CMP) Program

Oregon’s CMP program is a joint effortbetween the State of Oregon andWillamette University and Portland StateUniversity and allows state employees totake courses on state time. They attendcourses one morning per week for twohours for two years. The CPM is designedto meet the professional needs of man-agers in the public service. Upon comple-tion of the Certificate, employees can putthese hours toward a Masters of PublicAdministration degree if they choose.11

Civil service benefitspackages mustremain comparableand competitive tothat of private sectorbenefits packages inorder to attract andretain top IT talent.

help CIOs navigate through restraints,but can also help to show what poli-cies and initiatives are possible, andwhat is within the boundaries. Getcreative—some ideas that may seemfarfetched at the beginning can devel-op into innovative initiatives that canhave a major impact on recruitmentefforts and employee morale.

� Do Your Homework: Working with HRdepartments to become familiar withyour state’s regulations, proceduresand protocols will help state CIOsdetermine what they can do beforethey move forward with a project.Also, reach out to other states thathave done innovative things in recruit-ment and retention. Gather best prac-tices and lessons learned, gage suc-cess stories and assess project failuresbefore deciding to embark on a simi-lar initiative.

� Start at the Top: In some cases, policymay need to be changed before cer-tain strategies can be implemented.For example, to have your state ITdepartment implement a bonus sys-tem or to alter pay scales for bothrecruitment and retention purposes—or to streamline hiring processes—willoften require approval by state per-sonnel boards, or may even necessi-tate legislative approval.

� Look Within: Take a close look at yourexisting staff and work to assess theseverity of the workforce shortage youmay be facing—and determine if youare likely to face a shortage at all.Establishing a baseline of what yourparticular situation is, or may be in thenear future, will help state CIOs deter-mine the level of rigor that may berequired to overhaul your currentrecruitment and retention tactics.

Work to implement knowledge manage-ment training programs and incorporatesuccession management plans. Survey yourown employees for ideas that they mayhave for retaining workers and keepingmorale high. Conducting a skills gap

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The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting and Retaining State IT Employees

Moving beyond traditional tuition reim-bursement, many states are offering inno-vative ways to keep their employeestrained on the latest technologies andallow them to further their own profes-sional development. These can include:

� Bringing educational opportunities toemployees by having area universitieshold undergraduate and graduate-level courses in state facilities

� Allowing employees to participate inonline learning courses or attend vir-tual universities

� Providing monetary assistance inreceiving IT certifications

� Sending employees to professionaldevelopment seminars or conferences

TAKING THE FIRST STEPS: WHATSTATE CIOS NEED TO DO

The ideas presented in this brief will notand can not happen overnight. All civilservants, at any level, understand thecomplex state processes and extensiverules that can encumber recruitmentstrategies and hinder certain retentionmethods.

� Utilize Human ResourcesDepartments: In order to help navi-gate pre-existing red tape, state CIOsshould first consult their personneldepartments at the outset of a projectto determine if certain recruitment orretention methods are possible, andwhat steps need to be taken to imple-ment a new process. Find out if theyperceive an upcoming worker short-age and gauge the current applicantpool for state IT positions.Collaborating with HR to integratethese new projects or processes willhelp facilitate cross-boundary collabo-ration and may expedite processes.Additionally, collaborating with HR willhelp to identify collective bargainingagreements that may be in place inyour state.

� Think Outside the Box: Humanresources departments can not only

Collaborating withHR to integrate thesenew projects orprocesses will helpfacilitate cross-boundary collabora-tion and may expe-dite processes.



assessment can also be a way to deter-mine what knowledge disparities mayexist. Additionally, consider updating andmodernizing legacy systems in order toretain existing knowledge—all of theseinternal processes may help make apotentially drastic situation into a moremanageable one. Working to augment apotential state IT worker shortage willhelp state CIOs be ready to face thesechallenges as they arise and as the ITworkforce evolves to reflect the modern,multi-generational, and socially-net-worked IT workforce of the future.

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The Workforce Evolution: Recruiting and Retaining State IT Employees

Appendix I: Resources

Attracting the Next Generation: A Look atFederal Entry-Level New Hires. A Report tothe President and the Congress of theUnited States by the U.S. Merit SystemsProtection Board. Released February 8,2008.www.mspb.gov/sites/mspb/pages/MSPB%20Studies.aspx

Generational Differences in How EmployeesGauge the Rewards of Their Work. Survey byThe Segal Group, released Winter 2008.www.segalco.com/publications/surveysandstudies/2008PSROWage.pdf

The Quest for Talent – You Ain’t SeenNothing Yet. Gartner, December 20, 2007.www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search

The Blogging Revolution: Government in theAge of Web 2.0. David C. Wyld. IBM Centerfor The Business of Government. 2007.www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/WyldReportBlog.pdf

Is There Really an IT Labor Shortage? EricaChickowski. Baseline Magazine, March2008. www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/Is-There-Really-an-IT-Labor-Shortage

A Golden Opportunity: Recruiting BabyBoomers Into Government. January, 2008.Partnership for Public Service. www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications

The Impact of the Aging Workforce on PublicSector Organizations and Mission, February2007. This study, conducted by EquaTerrafor the International Public ManagementAssociation for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), can be found at:http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/IPMA-HR/UNPAN025894.pdf

The National Association of StatePersonnel Executives (NASPE) has severalpublications and research available on thisand other topics. These can be found atwww.naspe.net

http://www.mspb.gov/sites/mspb/pages/MSPB%20Studies.aspx

www.segalco.com/publications/surveysandstudies/2008PSROWage.pdf

www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search

www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/WyldReportBlog.pdf

www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/Is-There-Really-an-IT-Labor-Shortage

www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications

http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/IPMA-HR/UNPAN025894.pdf



Appendix II: Endnotes

1 “State IT Workforce: Here Today, GoneTomorrow?” NASCIO, September 2007.. www.nascio.org/publica-tions/documents/NASCIO-HereTodayGone%20Tomorrow.pdf

2 Ibid. Pages 14-15.

3 http://it-careers.mo.gov

4 EAST Initiative, www.eastinitiative.org

5 “Boomerang: State of CaliforniaRetirees Job Connection,” 2008.https://boomerang.ca.gov/boomerang

6 “Employment After Retirement,”December 2006.www.calpers.ca.gov/mss-pub

7 “State IT Workforce: Here Today, GoneTomorrow?” NASCIO, September 2007.Page 16.www.nascio.org/publications/documents/NASCIO-HereTodayGone%20Tomorrow.pdf

8 Telework!VA, Virginia Department ofRail and Public Transportation, 2008.www.teleworkva.org

9 “State IT Workforce: Here Today, GoneTomorrow?” NASCIO, September 2007.Page 16. www.nascio.org/publica-tions/documents/NASCIO-HereTodayGone%20Tomorrow.pdf

10 HealthQuest—State of Kansas Health& Wellness Program.www.khpa.ks.gov/healthquest

11 Oregon Certificate of PublicManagement Programs – for moreinformation, please visitwww.willamette.edu/agsm/cpm orwww.eli.pdx.edu/cpm.

NASCIO makes no express or impliedendorsement of any specific products, servic-es or organizations listed in this brief.

http://www.nascio.org/publications/documents/NASCIO-HereTodayGone%20Tomorrow.pdf



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