While 58 percent of public-sector employees say they're fully engaged in their jobs, another 38 percent of all respondents report being very or somewhat likely to find new employment if working conditions do not improve, according to a survey commissioned by ADP, a provider of human capital management services, and IPMA-HR, an organization representing interest of human resources professional for government and public education sectors.

The survey also finds that 47 percent of respondents 34 years of age and younger report that they were either very or somewhat likely to leave their employers if working conditions failed improve. Fully engaged public-sector employees are twice as likely to remain at their current positions and are three times as likely to report feeling very satisfied in the jobs. They are also 2.5 times more likely to say they believe they can make a difference and recommend their employers to others.

"With numerous studies pointing to a strong correlation between worker engagement and organizational productivity, performance and talent retention, it's clear that employee engagement is one of the top issues confronting HR decision makers today," says Terrence McCrossan, general manager, ADP Human Capital Management. "Just as in the private sector, public-sector organizations can benefit from having a clearer understanding of what motivates and satisfies their work force and from having a system in place to track whether their engagement levels are trending upward or not."