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If your state agency is having difficulties filling vacancies, you aren’t alone. Public employment is facing a unique set of circumstances that are making it challenging to recruit and retain personnel. Many older workers in the “baby boomer” generation – at one time the largest population in the US – are retiring. Technological advancements are altering roles at a fast pace. Education and training are not keeping up.
At the same time, the federal workforce has been reduced, so there are civil servants who are looking for employment.
OCSEA has been monitoring these changes so its members are prepared for them, President Chris Mabe said.
“This is why we formed the ‘Future of Work committee, which has been placed into our constitution this year as a permanent standing committee,” he said. “We’re making sure people are moving as technology is changing.”
The shortage of employees is not limited to public service. Lauren Hutton wrote in the Crain’s Cleveland Business Nov. 20, 2024, article “Personal View: In navigating the talent shortage, upskilling and reskilling matter” that Ohio businesses are facing a talent shortage.
“From manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and services industries, the challenge of finding qualified workers spans industries and is a growing concern for employers throughout the state,” Hutton wrote. “Companies are not only competing with one another for the best talent but are also wrestling with the realities of a declining population and shifting workforce expectations that make it difficult to meet staffing needs.”
According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (https://highered.ohio.gov/initiatives/success-completion/degree-and-credential-attainment/attainment/attainment), training and education in Ohio are not keeping up with the needs of employers.
“This well-documented ‘talent gap’ threatens our state’s continued economic competitiveness and growth. The Ohio Bureau of Labor Market Information projects that between 2018 and 2028, 75% of job growth in Ohio will be in occupations requiring at least a postsecondary non-degree credential, and 58% of growth will be in occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher,” according to the department’s website.
The Union Education Trust was established to address just those training and education needs.
“You have all these education funds and you should use them to learn about technology,” OCSEA State Board Representative Cynthia Watiker said. “UET is there for things that are relevant right now. You can get that training.”
Because the need is not just in private industry. The state of Ohio is hiring: As of early December, 2025, there are 54 job openings in nursing; 38 in behavioral health; 33 in corrections; 29 in direct support/direct care; 24 in accounting/finance; 19 in education; 15 in mental health; 14 in law enforcement; 13 in information technology; and 13 in facilities maintenance/inspection.
Watiker, who chairs the union’s “Future of Work” committee, says that the talent gap in Ohio state employment can be addressed by employee training.
“The gap I see is trying to get people trained,” she said. “People still believe in local government jobs.”
“Government jobs offer a decent living to take care of your family. You won’t get rich, but you will have three things: benefits, flexibility, and stability,” said Watiker, a customer service specialist with the Franklin County Job and Family Services Department, is the president of OCSEA Chapter 2508 and in her role on the OCSEA board travels to state OCSEA chapters and agencies.
Those three things are some of what local governments don’t fully communicate to prospective employees, according to Caitlin Lewis, author of “Tackling the Local Government Talent Shortage” in PM Magazine. She began her article by pointing out that the size and scope of the federal government is decreasing, meaning many public servants with expertise are looking for work. While the potential for new hires from the federal workforce is promising, state and local governments have many vacancies – about a half million nationally, Lewis wrote – and recruitment challenges.
“Public sector compensation often lags behind the private sector, particularly for technical roles,” Lewis wrote. “However, government jobs offer significant benefits like retirement plans, job security, and work-life balance.”
The state of Ohio has a difficult time filling information technology roles, Mabe said.
“It’s hard being competitive in salary range,” Mabe said, adding that talent gaps are caused by salary gaps.
The other challenge for everyone – both prospective state employees and current employees – is training. Mabe listed several ways that technology is changing OCSEA members’ jobs: “In ODOT, there is newer tech like drones doing bridge inspections and cameras in the trucks to monitor weather conditions,” he said. “In Corrections, we’re using virtual reality (VR) in training on taser defense, unarmed self defense, dealing with aggressive inmates, and firearm practice.”
“DODD is also using VR training for how to do holds on aggressive individuals, how to talk people down,” Mabe said. “Those are jobs/classifications we need to skill people up in because those are the jobs of the future.”
Both Watiker and Mabe pointed out that technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) are not to be feared. Mabe has seen AI being used in several agencies, such as approvals in workers compensation and unemployment. In both cases, it’s important to have a person reviewing what is concluded, because humans “see the story behind the page,” Mabe said.
“We always need to keep human beings in the windshield and not the rearview mirror,” he added.
AI is a tool for employees who then validate the information it produces, he said.
“I’ve been comparing tech and AI to a power tool – you need to be using it for the right reason,” Mabe said. “You don’t use a circular saw to cut a tree down.”
However, because of the rapid advancements in technology, “You’ve got to be flexible,” Watiker said. “If your job changes, you need to get training.”
Mabe agrees: “Education – that’s the key,” he said. “Stay in tune with the changes in tech. When things don’t feel right, slow down and talk to one another. Education is the tool.”