As state andlocal governments seek to implement innovations put in place bypeers more in the vanguard of change, they will find themselvesrestructuring HR policies. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The new year is going to be a busy one for state and localgovernments. Not only will they have to confront several issuesrelated to public employee benefit programmanagement, they'll have their work cut out for themto attract and retain skilled employees andprovide financial security to workers.

Research fromthe Center for State and Local Government Excellence points to aneed for the role of retirement benefit programs as workforcemanagement tools will need to be more fully understood—particularlysince changes to benefits have had a negative impact ongovernments' ability to attract new employees.

Related: Tough recruiting sees state, local governmentshiring gig workers

More innovative tactics, such as auto enrollment, are needed to help employeessave and improve the effectiveness of benefits withoutnecessarily spending more money on benefits. Such actions arenecessary as increasingly actions are taken to reduce benefits forpublic sector employees as part of “reform” measures.

This will be particularly important in the face of recruitmentand retention challenges, with some positions proving moredifficult than others to staff. These include police, engineering,IT, emergency dispatch, accounting, and skilled tradepositions.

As state and local governments seek to implement innovations putin place by peers more in the vanguard of change, they will findthemselves restructuring HR policies, as well as focusing onemployee engagement, use of technology, and external communicationsto develop what the Center for State and Local GovernmentExcellence considers the “Workforce of the Future.”

In addition, changes to policies that determine whetheremployees may return to work post-retirement could not only helpwith recruiting issues and workforce management flexibility butalso improve retirement system actuarial soundness.

Another way to address staffing issues is rising interest ingovernment staff sharing across jurisdictional boundaries. TheCenter recommends a “rigorous implementationprotocol” which can drive effective considerationof key factors.

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• 3 shifts in HR to expect in 2019
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