In the past, the public sector recruited a large proportion of its skilled workers from households already entrenched in the public sector. In light of the ever-increasing shortage of skilled labour and the aspiration to reflect the diversity of society throughout administrative bodies, employer attractiveness must be improved significantly from the perspective of different target groups. The key to a sustainable public service is a tailor-made employment strategy specific to your own target group.
The study “Public Administrations as Attractive Employers”, published as part of the series PD-Impulse, identifies 32 attractiveness factors that influence the overall image of an employer. In cooperation with six major federal and state authorities, employees were interviewed in a series of workshops to assess the personal relevance of various factors and levels of satisfaction with the performance of the respective employer for each respondent. Furthermore, the reasons for the results were discussed. Interviews with HR managers and staff councils asked for a self-assessment and added the perspective of employers to the analysis of strengths and weaknesses.
The study shows that the public sector does not adequately meet the needs of its employees in terms of work organisation, equity and career development opportunities and is thus not characterised by high employer attractiveness. On the basis of workshop discussions and further dialogue with experts, the study has generated recommendations for action to overcome the shortage of skilled workers in the public sector. It also presents practical examples of advanced models for designing an attractive working environment and for recruiting and developing staff.
