Report: More than half state and local employees considering changing jobs

For two years now, public employees have endured hardships that have become indicative of this pandemic-afflicted era: constantly evolving work environments; economic uncertainty; politically driven confrontations with a disgruntled constituency.  

Rising stress is leading many employees across all sectors to reconsider their work-life balance, with many opting to change jobs. New research of more than 1,000 state and local employees from MissionSquare Research Institute quantifies this rising angst in the public sector: More than half of those surveyed in the report, “The Great Resignation and COVID-19: Impact on Public Sector Employment and How Employers Can Help,” are actively considering a change in employment—whether to change jobs, retire or leave the workforce entirely. This is driven largely by burnout and compensation issues.  

“We’re teetering on the brink of a public sector workforce crisis,” said Rivka Liss-Levinson, Ph.D, a senior research manager at Mission Square Research Institute and the publication’s lead author. “We’re at the point where localities are calling in the National Guard to drive school buses, retired teachers are back in the classroom, firefighters are volunteering to work on their off days, and public health officials are seeking protection from abuse and threats. Clearly, this isn’t sustainable, and public services and safety are increasingly at risk.” 

Among those surveyed, 36 percent said they’re contemplating changing jobs; 33 percent reported possibly retiring; and 28 percent said they’re thinking about leaving the workforce entirely for the foreseeable future. The research is notable because of an upward trend among those seeking a change. In previous similar surveys, 20 percent were considering a job change in May 2020 and 31 percent said the same in November and May of last year. That number increased another five percent in the most recent survey, which was finalized in December. 

Added stress due to the pandemic was the most-cited reason why people are leaving their jobs voluntarily. A little more than half said they want a higher salary or better benefits; 47 percent said they’re burned out; 36 percent need a better work-life balance.

There’s no easy solution to this workforce migration. As more people leave jobs, eight in 10 of those surveyed said the increase on their own workload is causing them to consider leaving as well.

Along with the findings, the report also highlights ways that public employers can increase retention. 

“According to employees, the top three actions their employers can take to retain workers are to increase salaries, offer bonuses, and show more appreciation for employees and the work that they do. Fortunately, we are seeing some jurisdictions moving in this direction, but the Great Resignation across the entire U.S. workforce makes retention all the more difficult for public employers,” Liss-Levinson said. 

Notably, respondents ranked showing more appreciation and recognition higher than improving benefits, more leave time, more flexibility and remote work opportunities. 

The research comes as the highly infectious omicron variant is putting even more demands on a beleaguered public sector workforce, a statement about the findings says. Widespread omicron outbreaks in the workplace are making understaffing problems worse as the number of hospitalizations and deaths, largely among the unvaccinated, continue to climb in many areas of the country.