Innovations and Hiring Improvements to Address Public Health Workforce Recruitment

This study engaged state and local health agency employees involved in the hiring process to examine the impact of hiring laws and civil service requirements on recruitment processes. Additionally, we identified innovative approaches to improve recruitment.

Key informant cross-sectional qualitative study.

State and local U.S. governmental public health agencies.

Health department hiring managers, human resources/workforce development directors and assistant directors, program managers, deputy commissioners, and other HR representatives.

Experiences and perceptions of public health hiring approaches, processes, and civil service requirements.

Three themes emerged as solutions and innovations for public health agency recruitment: marketing strategies, organizational workforce development changes, and applicant experience improvements. Marketing strategies to improve recruitment included the expanded use of job wrapping and social media platforms. Organizational workforce development for recruitment and retention initiatives included paid fellowship programs, salary comparisons and market adjustments, expanded benefits, and the enhanced role of HR teams. Discussion of civil service requirements and hiring laws revealed that organizational and governance factors, such as hiring authority, were perceived as more consequential to effective recruitment than specific components of the law.

Organizations should improve inefficient recruitment and hiring processes and systems where possible. Much of this is achievable through quality improvement initiatives rather than legal or regulatory changes. However, tracking the hiring process to identify inefficiencies is essential, as barriers likely differ across agencies and states. Finding ways to shorten the applicant review timeframe and improve communication with applicants throughout the hiring process may yield more successful recruitment efforts. Lastly, Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) funding and programming have led to recruitment innovations. Flexibility to adapt recruitment approaches to changing workforce and labor market dynamics is needed for an adequate workforce with the capacity to address foundational needs and public health challenges.