Government agencies are facing an interesting shift in hiring. In many cases, the challenge is no longer simply finding people who are willing to apply. The bigger challenge is moving the right candidates through the hiring process and getting them into the workforce at the right time.

Recent research from Work for America found that applicant volume for many state and local government roles has increased, while hiring systems continue to face bottlenecks, fragmented processes and candidate drop-off.

So the question is becoming less about “Where do we find more candidates?” and more about “What is happening after they apply?”

The Problem May Be the Process

Government hiring involves important steps such as approvals, eligibility checks, interviews and background verification. These processes serve a purpose, but when they become disconnected or overly complicated, they can significantly slow down hiring.

According to PSHRA’s reporting on the 2026 Work for America research, 69% of surveyed jurisdictions identified slow time-to-hire as a major challenge, while approval bottlenecks, inconsistent workflows and limited visibility into hiring data were also reported as issues.

This means an agency can have an open position and interested candidates, yet still struggle to turn that interest into an actual hire.

Start by Finding Where Time Is Being Lost

One of the simplest changes agencies can make is to look at the hiring process from beginning to end.

Instead of measuring only the final time-to-hire, agencies can examine each stage — from vacancy approval and job posting to screening, interviews, approvals and onboarding — and identify where candidates are waiting unnecessarily.

Work for America recently launched a process-mapping toolkit specifically to help government hiring teams identify these bottlenecks and make targeted improvements.

The City of St. Louis offers one example of what this can achieve. After identifying a fragmented 94-step hiring process, the city streamlined and digitized key steps and reduced its reported hiring timeline from 9–12 months to 2–3 months.

Don’t Forget the Candidate Experience

Speed isn’t the only issue. Clarity matters too.

When candidates have little visibility into where they are in the process or when they can expect the next step, they may lose interest or move on to another opportunity.

Clear communication, defined timelines and consistent follow-ups can make the hiring experience easier for both candidates and hiring teams.

At the same time, agencies can strengthen their approach by building talent pipelines for recurring hard-to-fill positions instead of beginning the search from scratch every time a vacancy appears.

Move From Filling Vacancies to Building Capability

The bigger opportunity is to think beyond individual job openings.

Government agencies need to consider the skills and capabilities they will require as their programs, technology and service demands evolve. That means identifying recurring talent gaps, building stronger pipelines and using different workforce models where appropriate.

Specialized staffing partners, contingent professionals and other flexible workforce solutions can also play a role when agencies need specific expertise or additional capacity without waiting for lengthy traditional hiring cycles.

The goal isn’t simply to hire faster. It is to build a workforce that can respond when the mission requires it.

The Questions Agencies Should Be Asking

Instead of focusing only on applicant numbers, agencies can start asking:

• Where are we losing time in the hiring process?
• Which roles consistently take the longest to fill?
• Where are qualified candidates dropping out?
• Which skills will we need in the next few years?
• Where can technology or external workforce expertise improve the process?

These questions shift the conversation from “We need more applicants” to “We need a better way to convert talent into workforce capacity.”

The Next Step for Government Staffing

Government staffing is ultimately about having the right people and capabilities available when communities need them.

The agencies that look beyond simply attracting candidates — and start improving how they identify, engage and convert talent — can create a more responsive workforce strategy.

The question isn’t just whether talent is available.

It’s whether your hiring process is ready to capture it.

Ready to rethink your government workforce strategy?

Let’s talk about how the right talent, workforce model and staffing approach can help your organization move from hiring challenges to workforce readiness.