Aside from private companies in a wide variety of career fields, many government agencies use staffing agencies too. As demand for skilled candidates continues to grow, more and more government agencies are turning to staffing agencies specialized in public sector recruitment.
In this article, we’ll uncover why working with a staffing agency benefits both private and public sectors, and how government agencies benefit from partnering with staffing firms.
Obstacles Encountered by Government Agencies
The Great Resignation and baby boomers retiring have left many organizations struggling to find talent, including local, state, and federal government agencies. Like the private sector, they were also affected and are in need of talented individuals within their organizations.
According to Mission Square Research Institute, more than half of public sector employees considered leaving their jobs to change jobs, retire, or leave the workforce entirely due to burnout and lack of competitive benefits.¹ Adding the recent economic downturns, employees are experiencing many obstacles in their personal and professional lives that eventually led to the great resignation.
Bridging this gap is a top priority for leaders in the government. For our part, we have seen the demand for staffing within government agencies grow substantially over the last decade. A 2019 report found that the federal government spent $1.7 billion on temporary help service contracts in 2018, a giant leap from the $812 million spent in 2016.²
Related Article: Quiet Quitting: Advice for Employers
How the Government Uses Staffing Agencies
Due to high attrition rates, talent shortages, and layoffs, the public sector turned to staffing agencies to find specialized workers. Here are some of the reasons why the government chooses to work with a staffing firm in filling job posts:
1. Cost-Effective Staffing Solution
Many think that partnering with a staffing agency costs more. However, partnering with staffing agencies can actually be more cost-effective in the long run. Staffing agencies have a vast pool of potential candidates in their database and can fill a position quickly and efficiently. This allows the government to save time by sourcing candidates quicker and reduce costs by not investing in full-time recruitment specialists. Here are some of the most notable cost benefits of working with a staffing firm:
- Advertising jobs on job boards is handled by the staffing firm
- Compensation; benefits are provided by the staffing agency
- Reducing the risk of hiring the wrong employee, candidates are pre-screened by the staffing firm
- Quickly scaling workforce up or down, allowing you to respond to fluctuating labor requirements
- Reduced requirements of onboarding, this is handled by the staffing firm
2. Streamlined Employment Processes
The government’s hiring process can be complex and extensive, and filling a single post may take too long. According to Workable, it takes an average of 40.9 days for a government body to fill an open position.³
Staffing agencies look for skilled individuals to fill their talent pool. They have vetted their candidates beforehand, saving time and effort, reducing risk and shortening the process. When it’s time for the government agency to conduct necessary interviews, they won’t have to go through hundreds of applications. They can simply choose from the staffing agency’s recommended personnel.
3. To Test Candidates Out First
Recruiting is not cheap—however, bad hiring can be costly. Many organizations fail to consider the cost of a bad hire. According to the US Department of Labor, a bad hire costs an organization 30 percent of an employee’s earnings for the first year.⁴ In a survey by CareerBuilder, 74 percent said they hired the wrong employee and lost an average of $14,900 in the process.⁵
Staffing agencies offer access to temporary and temp-to-hire employees. By having the time to assess employees, government organizations can take time before finally accepting an employee full-time. It serves as an additional time to determine if an employee truly has the soft and hard skills needed to thrive in the organization. The government leverages this opportunity offered by staffing agencies to lessen the risk of a bad hire, allowing organizations to allocate funds strategically.
4. Temporary Assistance
Temporary employees can fill government positions that only require a specified time to accomplish. It can be to finish a one-time project, to fill a temporary role due to absences or employee time-offs, to provide assistance for new tasks, or to fill in for peak seasons in an industry.
This allows organizations to scale up or down quickly and focus their efforts on growing the business. With this efficient process, there’s flexibility to adjust the workforce based on an organization’s needs, and it requires less time to find a new candidate, which can effectively decrease overall productivity.
Related Article: Contracting and Temporary Staffing: What Every Employer Needs to Know
5. Expedite the Hiring Process
Filling a job post can be tedious and time-consuming, especially for government agencies. This can be shortened by partnering with a staffing agency, and organizations don’t need to fully commit their time and resources to recruitment.
Employers can still review candidates and do their own assessments. However, since these candidates are already vetted, the time needed to allot will not be as long as hiring internally, allowing government bodies to shift their resources to areas that require more focus and effort.
6. Access to Latest Tech and Systems
Most staffing agencies invest in advanced programs and software, such as an applicant tracking system and premium job board subscriptions that cost tens of thousands of dollars per year.
These tools aid staffing agencies in reaching more talented individuals in areas standard tools can’t achieve. These tools are great for tracking and managing candidates, which allows staffing agencies to find ideal candidates more effectively and efficiently.
EXPEDITE YOUR HIRING PROCESS EFFECTIVELY WITH PEAK PERFORMERS
Recruitment is crucial to human resources, so finding the right people puts you one step closer to achieving your goals.
Peak Performers helps professionals find fulfilling careers. We carefully analyze each candidate’s skills, competence, and experiences before recommending them to our clients. Our vision is to prioritize skilled individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses. With nearly three decades of experience, our expertise can provide efficient and cost-effective hiring solutions, matching you with the most talented individuals.
Contact us today and learn how we can help!
References
- “More than Half of State and Local Government Employees Contemplating Leaving Their Jobs Due to Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.” Mission Square Research Institute, 27 Jan. 2022, research.missionsq.org/state-and-local-government-employees-contemplating-leaving-their-jobs-due-to-covid-19-pandemic.
- “Federal Government Spent $1.7 Billion on Temporary Help Services Contracts Last Year, Driven by Healthcare Services.” Staffing Industry Analysts, 19 Jun. 2019, www.staffingindustry.com/Federal-government-spent-1.7-billion.
- Bika, Nikoletta. “What is the Average Tiem to Hire by” Workable, resources.workable.com/time-to-hire-industry. 21 Sep. 2023.
- Schooley, Skye. “How to handle a Bad Hire.” com, 23 Mar. 2023, www.business.com/cost-of-a-bad-hire.
- “Nearly Three in Four Employers Affected by a Bad Hire, According to a Recent CareerBuilder Survey.” Career Builder, 7 Dec. 2017, careerbuilder.com/Nearly-Three-in-Four-Employers-Affected-by-a-Bad-Hire-According-to-a-Recent-CareerBuilder-Survey.
