Government employees need a reskilling revolution

Citizens increasingly want government services to be intuitive, accessible and digital. Yet workers in many areas of government may not have the right skills to meet those needs. In PwC’s 2023 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey of nearly 54,000 employees worldwide, government workers were less likely than respondents overall to believe that the skills needed to do their jobs would change in the next five years. In contrast to the private sector, they also have less clarity about how AI may impact their jobs in coming years, and they see developing softer skills such as collaboration, critical thinking and being flexible as more essential than technical skills such as digital aptitude, data analytics or green skills. They are also less confident that their organisation can help workers develop capabilities. 

The lack of urgency and technical focus from public-sector employees on skills is a sign that a major leap forward is needed, particularly given that government entities are trying to modernise, digitise and fundamentally reinvent ways of working. Leaders should consider three moves to spur meaningful, lasting change within the public sector workforce.

1. Make the case for future skills. Public-sector leaders need to communicate how advanced digital solutions (including AI) can help meet their organisation’s objectives. That requires actively engaging with regulators and industry leaders to create use cases for these solutions and developing a clear vision and investment for upskilling to bring employees along on the journey. 
2. Redefine performance management. Government leaders need to incorporate new upskilling efforts into their strategy—and set performance management structures to match. Employees should get clear goals and expectations to learn new skills (particularly digital, AI and green skills), along with incentives to become more proactive in learning new skills.
3. Redesign career paths. Rather than traditional, linear career paths, leaders should offer a wide range of options for employee mobility—such as cross-department rotational assignments and international secondments. Organisations can also allow workers to partner with the private sector (for example, through reciprocal secondments, where a private-sector employee and a public-sector employee swap roles for a period). These programs expose government employees to a wider range of experiences and create transferable skills that can make government agencies more innovative and agile—and ultimately lead to better outcomes for citizens.