Public Workforce Initiative
Strong communities require a strong and supported public workforce. TJCOG has launched a Public Workforce Initiative to assist local governments across the region as they continue to face unprecedented challenges to recruit, retain, and support the wellbeing of their workforce.
Through focus groups with regional managers and human resources staff, and a regional survey of supervisory-level staff, four goals have emerged for the program:
- better data
- an increased candidate pool
- improved employee wellbeing
- stronger public awareness & marketing of career opportunities
In the summer of 2022, TJCOG partnered with RTI International to conduct a survey of 300+ public sector managers in our region to get a foundational understanding of the impact of the state of the workforce on our local government organizations. The results of this survey are key drivers of the Public Workforce Initiative. Survey Overview
Trends in the Data
- Wages are a driving factor
- Staff are working beyond their normal hours and responsibilities
- Most local governments have not scaled back services due to limited capacity
- It is more difficult to recruit
- Concern that staff are not highly valued by constituents and elected officials
- Public Safety continues to face unique challenges
Work Underway
The TJCOG Public Pipeline Program aims to create a more seamless and comprehensive process to connect students and potential employees in the region to job opportunities in local government. Once established, the program intends to offer suite of apprenticeship and internship opportunities, as well as training, mentorship, and community-building, focused on hard-to-fill positions.
- Local governments and educational partners can express interest in participation for the Summer 2023 Pilot Program by emailing akeegan@tjcog.org.
The Triangle J Council of Governments' Regional Summit serves as a space to reconnect and build cross-community relationships, share new approaches, and collaborate on emerging issues. Most importantly, the Summit puts a spotlight on a key challenge for the region. In 2022, this spotlight focused on the ways that mental health impacts our organizations and the stability of the public sector workforce, and tools to improve well-being individually and collectively. Learn more