The past few years have hit the public sector hard. Since the onset of the pandemic, government and public education organizations have seen job satisfaction wane, and employee turnover increase as employees flocked to other organizations — or left the public sector entirely.
However, this year has seen a change in course, with outcomes improving across the public sector.
Job satisfaction and loyalty all saw a significant uptick in 2024, and holistic well-being is on the rise, too. All three metrics are now approaching their pre-pandemic baselines:
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However, the youngest employees are still struggling — and they’re more likely to leave their employer
While these trends are promising, public sector employers still face challenges ahead. The gains in satisfaction, loyalty and well-being are concentrated among more experienced employees. Younger talent — age 35 and under — have significantly more concerns than their older colleagues.
Four in ten public sector employees under 35 say they plan to leave their employer in the next twelve months. Amongst young talent, forty-two percent feel confident in their finances, fifty-six percent are concerned about inflation, and sixty-eight percent worry about their ability to buy a home.
Employee care is critical to bolster outcomes for public sector employees and employers alike
Public sector organizations looking to safeguard young talent — and continue to boost key talent metrics across their workforce — have an opportunity to reach their goals by demonstrating employee care.
Employee care was first explored in our 2023 Employee Benefit Trends Study report as a strategy to enhance outcomes for both employees and employers. Demonstrating care means taking an active interest in employees’ well-being, both at work and outside of work, and supporting employees across multiple elements of the employee experience.
This year’s report builds on the MetLife Care Model, contextualizing care throughout the employee journey and exploring how employers can best demonstrate care during employees' lives — even in challenging moments, such as a child struggling at school or caregiving for a parent, that may not be visible to employers.
To this end, we examined 55 life and work moments to identify the moments with the greatest impact on public sector employees, as well as moments when they’re looking to their employer for more support.
Care delivery gaps widen during challenging work and life moments. The work moments with the largest care delivery gaps, in order, are switching managers, health and safety concerns, and experiencing burnout. Life moments with the largest care delivery gaps, in order, are getting a new pet, relationship challenges, and bereavement.
We uncovered a persistent gap in feelings of care between public sector employers and their employees — one that widens in difficult moments that employees face at work and in life.
Employers estimate that eighty-four percent of their workforce feels cared for, but only fifty-four percent of public sector employees say they feel cared for. That’s a thirty percent gap.
Employers have an opportunity close the care gap with continuous, “always-on” care
Meeting employees’ expectations for care, particularly during challenging moments that occur in work and life, means being ready for anything — what we’ve dubbed “always on” care.
Always-on care calls on employers to take into account each aspect of the employee experience, allowing employees to access the support they need, when they need it. Done well, it can be transformative for bolstering several key talent metrics, including job, satisfaction, loyalty and well-being.
Public sector employees who feel cared for are 1.2 times more loyal to their employer, 1.3 times more satisfied with their job, and 1.4 times more likely to be holistically healthy.
Learn what it takes to deliver always-on care across the public sector
This year's public sector report — powered by research from MetLife's 22nd Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study — explores how government organizations and employers in public education can deliver always-on care. We delve into the lingering care gap impacting the public sector, particularly among young talent, and the moments when public sector employees crave more support.
We’ll also share three key best practices to deliver always-on care across the public sector workforce and highlight targeted strategies that help employers deliver care during pivotal work and life moments.
To learn how to safeguard the next generation of public sector talent — boost job satisfaction, loyalty and well-being — read the report .