Report: Local Governments Are Embracing Workplace Diversity, Equitable Hiring Practices

Amid the ongoing retention and resignation crisis, local administrators are increasingly prioritizing workplace diversity and inclusive policies, both to attract and retain talent, and mirror the communities they serve. About 95 percent of more than 350 human resource managers in local government and K-12 public education surveyed in a new workforce report published by MissionSquare Research Institute said increasing diversity, equity and inclusion is a priority.

“These findings are important for helping inform public organizations as they strive to be model employers that effectively develop inclusive work environments, communicate career opportunities to all members of their communities, and ensure robust professional development for all public employees,” said Joshua Franzel, MissionSquare Research Institute’s managing director in a statement.

Polling for the survey, “Managing Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Local Government,” was conducted between December 2021 and this January by Greenwald Research, on behalf of MissionSquare Research Institute. It’s a follow-up to a 2021 report issued by the research organization, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Public Service Workforce,” which presented employment data including the degree to which women and people of color were represented in a variety of government occupations.

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The research documents the public sector’s ongoing push to make public organizations look more like the constituents they serve.

“Beyond strategic goal setting, organizations may have an array of strategies in place to implement their DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) vision, which may range from formally adopted policies, statutes, or ordinances, to informal practices such as the methods by which human resources staff conduct routine outreach,” the latest report notes.

Specifically, of those surveyed for the report, 67 percent of respondents said their organization has some sort of formal or informal program or policy in place related to diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

Among other initiatives, some of those programs include paid family leave or flexibility for daycare (47 percent); considering non-job-related skills when hiring (46 percent); recruiting through diverse channels to maximize diversity in applicants (43 percent); increasing pay transparency or promoting equal pay (42 percent); and redacting criminal history when considering candidates (30 percent).

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