State and local governments continue to face severe labor shortages and are deploying new strategies to attract and retain public service workers. State and local governments hired more full-time or part-time staff in 2022 than in 2021, but it was more common for agencies to report that quits and retirements increased rather than decreased. Jurisdictions also reported deploying new strategies to widen the pool of job candidates, such as dropping degree requirements for some positions.

This survey of public sector human resources professionals has been conducted annually since 2009 by MissionSquare Research Institute in collaboration with the Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA) and the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE).