Recent college grads shunning government work, study finds – By Federal Times staff (The Federal Times) / Aug 26, 2022
A slow recruiting process, lack of awareness of open jobs, and outdated or unessential requirements in job announcements are limiting applications for federal jobs at a time when the government is facing a staffing crisis, according to a study by Qualtrics.
Less than half of recent graduates said they would consider federal employment, the study found.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 85,000 job openings across the federal government. As the world of work continues to evolve, the public sector faces unique challenges in attracting talent to federal agencies. For example, the average time-to-hire for federal employees is 98 days, 2 which makes it even more difficult to compete with private sector companies that have streamlined recruiting practices.
Very few recent college graduates are considering federal government jobs. According to the Qualtrics study, 20% of graduate respondents said they were not aware of federal jobs and 30% said the hiring process is too complicated.
