RiPS - Recruiting in the Public Sector
The public sector is currently facing the challenge of filling an increasing personnel gap with professional and managerial staff. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, the personnel gap is going to increase by almost 16 % to 731,000 vacancies until the year 2030. Due to demographic changes and the resulting “war for talents”, the public sector competes with the private and the non-profit sector for the best talents on the labor market. However, public organizations are often accused of inefficiency and bureaucracy. The question arises as to what extent this often negative image affects the perceived attractiveness of employment in this sector.
Hence, public organizations need to aim at positioning themselves as attractive employers on the hand and to retain qualified staff in the long term on the other hand. The first few months in the public service are a crucial phase as new employees are integrated and socialized into the organization. Studies show that an effective onboarding can lead to increased commitment, improved performance, and employee retention. These long-term consequences have not yet been recorded in research with regard to the specifics of the public sector.
This project focuses on the first steps of the HR process: attracting, hiring, and onboarding new employees. We pursue the following research questions:
- How does the perceived organizational attractiveness of the public, private and non-profit sectors differ, and how does this influence the intention to apply?
- Is there a difference between different cultures (e.g., Germany and the US)?
- How do new employees experience their first months in the public service, and how does this phase of socialization influence the employees’ work engagement? Which determining factors further moderate and mediate these interactions?
In order to answer the research questions, we conduct surveys with final-year students and young professionals in Germany and the US. This empirical research project uses experimental research designs and longitudinal studies to focus more deeply on the intersection between the research disciplines of human resources management and public management.
- Duration: 06/2019-05/2022
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Rick Vogel, Project member: Jana Oetken née Cordes, M.Sc.
- Sponsor: University funds