Monday, November 2, 2009

Attracting Younger Workers to Public Service

The U.S. federal government is estimated to lose 600,000 of its aging workers to retirement and thousands more of its top mid-career performers to private sector jobs over the next 5 years. America needs a capable and sophisticated government, and its current system of recruiting, compensating, training and managing people is poorly aligned with the expectations of younger workers. To address the needs of a new workforce and upgrade its existing one, the government must:

  • Create a simple, transparent process for applying for civil service jobs
  • Develop onboarding programs for entry level and mid-career employees
  • Revamp the classification and pay structure to compete with the private sector
  • Invest in robust leadership development and succession planning programs
  • Hire qualified human capital experts to champion 21st century recruitment and talent management efforts

Without a systematic way of recruiting and keeping younger talent, the federal government will be unable to staff mission critical positions with qualified, competent personnel. While out of touch, it is not the only U.S. employer with antiquated human capital processes. Most private and nonprofit organizations report being ill-equipped to handle the upcoming demographic shifts in the labor market. How prepared are you?

Want more insight into managing the different generations in your workplace? Contact us at www.interchange-group.com or join us for our November 19 webinar, Generational Differences in Volunteerism.

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