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Workforce Development Toolkit

Because of size and varying socio-economic conditions, cities differ in terms of staffing, capacity, and know-how. This toolkit, accessible to all GMA members, can help level this uneven playing field. This toolkit concerns all stages of workforce development and may be used to assist cities in determining living wage levels relevant for recruitment and retention, learning about best practices, and researching and adopting appropriate tools for both training needs and succession planning. Most importantly, the toolkit allows GMA to build a knowledge base reflecting the current state of workforce development as well as innovative approaches in anticipation of future trends.
 
Learn more about the Starts With Me! workforce development campaign designed for Georgia cities to use as they address their ongoing talent acquisition and retention challenges.

Reports, Articles, and Tools

State and Local Government Workforce: 2021 Survey

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE) has conducted an annual workforce survey since 2009. This survey of human resource professionals tracks key challenges facing state and local governments in the recruitment and retention of talented employees and the strategies being employed to manage and compensate those staff.

June 1, 2021
Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE)

‘Be WHO You Needed When YOU Were Younger:’ Attracting Young Adults to the Workforce

Upon entering the workforce during the Great Recession of 2008, many millennials took whatever employment was available and are still job-hopping to catch up on their careers. Now in 2020, as Generation Z begins graduating college, they face similar prospects in the shadow of the coronavirus p...

October 12, 2020
By Nikki Perry

Cities Explore Succession & Replacement Planning

"What is a succession plan and is it right for your city? To understand what your answer may be, we must first understand the difference between a replacement plan and a succ...

October 12, 2020
By Catherine Bennett and Tate Fowler, Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, GA

Tools to Address Implicit Bias in Local Government

June 15, 2020
Engaging Local Government Leaders

State and Local Government Workforce: 2020 Survey

April 1, 2020
Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE)

Millennial State and Local Government Employee Views on Jobs, Compensation and Retirement

February 19, 2020
National Institute on Retirement Security

When I Grow Up, I Want to be an Assistant City Administrator

December 17, 2019
Engaging Local Government Leaders Network

Hiring Veterans for Local Government Positions

November 21, 2019
ICMA

State and Local Employee Views on Their Jobs, Pay and Benefits

November 13, 2019
National Institute on Retirement Security

Podcast: The Myth of Bureaucratic Neutrality

July 10, 2019
Engaging Local Government Leaders Network

How to Build a Successful Volunteer Program

May 7, 2019
ICMA

Aging and in need of attention: America’s infrastructure and its 17 million workers

April 18, 2019
The Brookings Institution

The High Cost of Undervaluing Older Talent

March 22, 2019
Route 50

Investing in America's Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers

March 1, 2019
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Beyond Compliance: Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Populations to Achieve Higher Positions in Local Government

February 20, 2019
ICMA

Retirement Plans Use Too Much Jargon, Say Employees

February 5, 2019
National League of Cities

Financial Literacy Programs for Local Government Employees

January 31, 2019
Center for State and Local Government Excellence

The Gender Disparity in Climbing Local Government's Ladder

January 30, 2019
Governing Magazine

Balancing Objectives in Public Employee Post-Retirement Employment Policies: Reassessing Barriers to Continued Work

December 6, 2018
Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE)

The Model Police Officer: Recruitment, Training, and Community Engagement

November 16, 2018
ICMA

Sharing our H2Opportunity to Recruit the Next Generation

November 9, 2018
Kim Holland, Water & Sewer Director, Marietta Power and Water

Finance Employees Are Fastest-Growing Segment of Local Government Workforce

November 8, 2018
Governing Magazine

Workforce of the Future: Strategies to Manage Change

October 4, 2018
The Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE)

H2Opportunity Career Paths for Water Protection

October 1, 2018
H2Opportunity

Fresh Air Recruitment Trends & Topics: Implicit Bias

August 20, 2018
Engaging Local Government Leaders Network

A State and Local Government Leader’s Guide to Building the Public Workforce of the Future

August 6, 2018
Governing Institute

How Governments Are Closing the Gender Pay Gap

August 1, 2018
Governing Magazine

Recruiting Young People to Local Government

August 1, 2018
Route Fifty

Alpharetta Employee Referral Program

June 21, 2018

Renewing the Water Workforce: Improving Water Infrastructure and Creating a Pipeline to Opportunity

June 15, 2018
The Brookings Institution

State and Local Government Workforce: 2018 Data and 10-Year Trends

May 31, 2018
Center for State and Local Government Excellence

How to Identify Emerging Leaders

How can organizations strengthen their effectiveness in identifying and developing emerging leaders? While there are many factors involved in this important work, this article presen...
May 24, 2018
Government Executive

Preparing Tomorrow’s Public Service

May 14, 2018
The Volcker Alliance

Public Pension Cuts and Competitiveness

April 12, 2018
Center for State and Local Government Excellence

Public Sector Retirement Initiative

March 19, 2018
National League of Cities

Athens-Clarke County Innovation Ambassadors

March 7, 2018

Room to Grow: New Frontiers for Apprenticeships

February 14, 2018
Burning Glass Technologies & Harvard Business School

2018 Management Survey: Leading Challenges in State & Local Government

February 14, 2018
Route Fifty

COPS Task Force Makes Compensation Recommendations

December 19, 2017

Youth Councils Build Tomorrow’s Leaders

November 14, 2017

State and Local Government Workforce: 2017 Trends

October 31, 2017
Center for State & Local Government Excellence

Workforce Toolkit: Living Wage Calculators

October 18, 2017

GMA Municipal Workforce Development Task Force Report

June 29, 2017