One of the longer-term consequences of the looming government shutdown isn’t getting the attention it deserves: The youngest potential recruits are receiving yet another reminder of the challenges of public service, and at a time when they are desperately needed.
Now that the aging leadership of America has emerged as a top issue for voters, it’s time to acknowledge a problem as vast as the federal government itself.
About 31% of the country’s 2 million full-time federal employees will be eligible to retire at the end of 2025, and 47% will be eligible by the end of 2030. Meanwhile, the government is way behind the private sector in attracting young employees.
Just 7% of full-time federal workers are under the age of 30 — compared to about 20% in the US labor force. And in the federal information technology workforce, an area of great need, there are almost 14 times more employees over age 50 than under 30.
There are numerous existing obstacles that already stand in the way of getting a federal job, and these hurdles will be greatly compounded if Congress fails to fund the government with the annual appropriations bills by the Oct. 1 deadline. Hundreds of thousands of employees will be told to stay home, while more than a million civil servants will be required to work, all without a paycheck. Many government services and programs, along with recruiting and hiring, will grind to a halt. This is hardly a glowing advertisement for making government cool again.
There are many reasons young people do not consider public service: the federal government’s brand is suffering and trust in our leaders is low; job opportunities can be hard to find; and jobseekers must navigate an arcane and lengthy hiring process.
It takes the government an average of 98 days to bring new talent on board — more than double the time of the private sector. The government has a rigid, 20th-century personnel system that does not fit in with the mobile and agile model expected by today’s younger generation; its pay system is based on a 1949 law that makes it hard to compete with the private sector.
Federal agencies need to make it easier for students and entry-level talent to find — and be found — for jobs by creating a federal internship and fellowship database, streamlining the application process, ensuring that hiring platforms are easily accessible and mobile-friendly, and that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility become a central part of workforce strategy.
Other needed improvements include ensuring internships are paid and easing agencies’ ability to convert intern jobs into full-time positions. Congress should lift the caps on agencies’ expedited hiring authority for students and recent graduates and hold agencies responsible for recruiting on campuses.
A career counselor at Ohio State University told my organization that a government shutdown will keep federal recruiters away from career fairs, employer information sessions and campus recruitment events. “All of our students who have been planning to apply their education to public service careers will have to explore alternative career paths to fulfill their goals or risk adding months to an already prolonged job-search process,” she said.
Every organization can benefit from an infusion of young, diverse talent to bring in enthusiasm, fresh ideas and skills, and that is especially true for a federal government that has an urgent need for employees with capabilities in such fields as cybersecurity, technology, engineering, finance, health care and much more.
A recent poll found that just 14% of Generation Z aspires to work in government. A shutdown certainly will not improve that number, and the fallout could well last long after Congress resolves the current funding crisis.
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