The Center for State and Local Government Excellence is Becoming the MissionSquare Research Institute
Since the Center’s founding in 2007, our mission has been to carry out independent, non-partisan research to help local and state governments become knowledgeable and competitive employers so they can attract and retain a talented and committed workforce. That mission has expanded recently to include others in public service, such as education, health care, or nonprofit organizations, but our research of interest to local and state leaders will continue – particularly around our core priority areas of retirement, health and wellness, and workforce.
From the beginning, the Center has always worked closely with ICMA-RC, and that partnership was formalized in January. In conjunction with ICMA-RC changing its name to MissionSquare Retirement, the Center is also adopting a new name: the MissionSquare Research Institute.
You can continue to access our research through slge.org or contact us at [email protected].
We look forward to continuing to serve those who serve their communities.
2021 State and Local Government Workforce Survey Results Released
New research assessing the state and local government workforce finds jurisdictions are facing acute challenges recruiting employees in several critical areas. Health care positions are identified as hard to fill by 60-75% of survey respondents, followed by positions in corrections and policing, both at 64%. Other positions identified as hard to fill include skilled trades (57%) and engineering (52%), which are professions in direct competition with the private sector.
Additional findings detail changes in benefits, recruitment and retention efforts, flexible work arrangements, and employee retirement decisions.
SLGE at ICMA-RC has partnered with the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) and the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE) on a workforce survey of state and local HR professionals since 2009. Download the survey report or webinar slides, or click the video link below to view the webinar recording.
Financial Wellness Grant Updates
Governments that received support from this year’s financial wellness grant program continue to develop materials for their employees or share resources developed by the Center, the National Association of State Treasurers, IPMA-HR, and the Wells Fargo Foundation – including this resource shared by the city of Cleveland and an update from the San Diego County Water Authority.
Senior Research Manager Rivka Liss-Levinson, PhD, presented on ‘Strategies for Employee Financial Resilience in a Changed World’ as part of the NAST Treasury Management Training Symposium, along with grantees from the Iowa Insurance Division and the Milwaukee County Transit System.
As each grantee completes their program implementation this fall, Center staff will be collecting a summary report of best practices.
SLGE at ICMA-RC in the News
The Center’s findings on the impact of COVID-19 on teacher burnout and job satisfaction was cited by BELatina, Employee Benefit News, Georgia Recorder, and Times-Georgian, and was the subject of a LinkedIn blog post from Senior Research Manager Rivka Liss-Levinson, PhD.
This year’s workforce survey report has been covered by WHDH Boston, Home Health Care News, The Brunswick News, Yahoo Finance.
PlanSponsor cited Center data in discussing financial wellness.
