It’s no secret that technical roles are some of the most difficult positions to fill across all industries, especially when it comes to finding candidates with specific skill sets like systems administration. It’s even more difficult in a public sector setting, where hiring protocols can often contribute to a longer hiring process and leave you even farther behind the race for the perfect candidate. Our public sector partners and clients often face a variety of issues, including:

1. Long Hiring Processes

According to research by NEOGOV, the average time to hire in the public sector is 119 days, nearly double the time of hiring in the private sector, and have more restrictions based on rigid sets of credentials. This daunting process can exhaust any candidate or even overlook qualified candidates and give them the time to find and accept another role.

2. Competitive Labor Market

IT roles are highly specialized and have led to a talent shortage across all sectors. This gives candidates a competitive advantage where they can leverage their skills for higher salaries. On average, government employees make 23.1 percent less than private sector employees, based on research from the Federal Times. This significant pay gap plays a major role in the public sector’s inability to fill technical roles.

3. Ineffective Recruiting Techniques

Government recruiting comes with a lot of red tape, not allowing you the leeway to bypass certain steps in the process or be able to offer flashy benefits to lock down your perfect candidate. When it comes to the private sector’s more aggressive recruiting techniques, it makes it easy to overlook government roles and choose tech firms that are marketing themselves with better perks and faster response times.

4. Bulk Retirements

According to Nextgov, the number of federal IT employees over the age of 60 is quadruple the number of specialists under 30. This age disparity doesn’t speak well for the future of government agencies as the next group reaches retirement age without a funnel of replacements to fill their seats.

To circumvent these hurdles, the public sector has moved towards technical outsourcing to efficiently solve IT vacancies – with outstanding results. Outsourcing helps with:

1. On-Demand Staffing

Gone are the days of 100-day recruiting processes. When it comes to vacant positions, you need a replacement ASAP to avoid growing a daunting 3-4 month backlog of tasks for your new hire. With outsourcing, your IT roles can be filled within two weeks by qualified industry experts, without the need for onboarding or additional time spent on training.

2. Return on Investment

Your initial investment into an outsourced solution should be fully customizable to your needs and budget. Look for providers that are flexible to ensure you’re not paying for time you don’t need – whether you’re looking for a short-term backfill or long-term staffing resource.

3. Bypass Recruiting

Losing talent to other organizations throughout your recruiting process can be frustrating and often lengthens your search to find an equally skilled candidate. With amplification services, you bypass the entire recruiting process, ensuring you’re getting top talent every time without compromising on skills or having to compete for limited resources.

4. Extension of Your Team

The world of technology is ever-changing so it gets easy to get left behind. Find the right partner to ensure their experts become your own and easily assimilate into your team with little training. The best-outsourced staff will already know how to use your system, can pinpoint areas you might not be effectively utilized in your current state, and will train your team to become more efficient.

At DataBank, we’re working to solve the challenges our clients are facing managing complex systems like Hyland OnBase. Managed Services and Staff Augmentations help fill critical roles and tasks to keep your core team focused on the most important work. 

Learn more about Managed Services and Staff Augmentation options, or connect with our team to schedule a technical team discover session.