Indeed: What agencies can do to future-proof hiring practices

Today's changing labor market dynamics, skills reorientation, and evolution in recruiting practices means talent shifts are happening in the blink of an eye. On October 1 at Indeed’s Public Sector Workforce Summit, researchers demonstrated this by showcasing the average time to hire per sector. For private-sector companies, it took, on average, 35 days to identify and fill an open position, while across the public sector it took nearly double the amount of time. 

As today’s technology causes significant change in the talent landscape, HR professionals must grapple with balancing the need for speed with the need for care. 

“Public sector employers need to modernize without compromising the human element of hiring,” said Emily Parmelee, senior director of public sector sales at Indeed. “Agencies face severe talent shortages and onboarding bottlenecks, compounded by legacy systems that can't match the speed and accessibility job seekers expect today. The key is finding the right balance.”

In an era where job applications that can be done from a mobile device, government applications can seem archaic. This could result in a level of friction that causes prospective applicants to drop out of the process. To remedy this, agencies need to make themselves more attractive to workers, which can make the potentially arduous application process worth their time and effort. 

“Clearly showcase the benefits of working with your agency or department. Why would an applicant want to work for the government? Candidates, especially younger generations, need to see what's in it for them, not just in the short term, but over the course of their career,” said Parmelee.

[subheading] Ground your workforce planning in real-time data 

When building talent pipelines, having access to real-time jobs data and market trends can be a helpful tool. Policy shifts, especially in election cycles, can influence the number of applications a department receives, as evidenced by the 50,000 applications that flooded into New York City following Mamdani’s election in 2025. 

Indeed’s 2026 Federal Workforce Report and State Workforce Report build on this premise by using proprietary, near real-time data to give agencies a forward-looking demographic outlook. What Indeed’s Workforce Intelligence team discovered was that: 

• In January 2026, only 7.9% of federal employees were under the age of 30. By contrast, employees below 30 made up 19.4% of the overall U.S. labor force in 2025. 
• U.S. state agencies employed 5.7 million workers in March 2025, 4.1 million of whom were full-time. 

In both instances, the data laid out a clear story that federal, state and local agencies must be proactive in cutting the time to hire and implementing skills-first hiring practices in order to make the federal government a more attractive employer. 

“These talent gaps will widen and it will get harder to hire as a large portion of the government workforce reaches retirement.” 

Use AI-assisted recruiting to identify and engage relevant candidates.

While HR professionals have a plethora of sourcing, screening and intelligent matching tools, they should always be verified by hands-on recruiters to ensure that teams are matched with the right candidate, not just a candidate. 

Matching HR managers and recruiters to the right candidates starts with using AI to help screen for the skills that are required for these jobs. 

“We can help remove friction for candidates and administrative burdens for hiring managers by using Indeed Smart Sourcing. This tool helps agencies connect with qualified talent and hire over 30% faster, making government roles far more competitive,” explained Parmelee. 

By offloading tedious, administrative tasks to agents, recruiters and hiring managers can focus on the more human aspect of personnel management. Whether that means interviewing a prospective employee found through Indeed’s job marketplace or attending a local job fair to champion the virtues of working in the public sector. 

“Public sector roles carry immense value for our communities and country as a whole, and are stable jobs with strong benefit packages. We want to help tell that story and connect the government with the right employees,” said Parmelee. 

Closing the talent gap will not happen overnight. It’ll take time, but in collaborating with trusted partners, today’s HR leaders can make real progress toward building sustainable public sector talent pipelines. 

Make better talent matches with Indeed.