Public sector labor shortage hurts vital services and communities, not faceless bureaucrats
Illinois is facing a severe shortage of workers in key public service roles.
The shortage partially is due to a robust labor market. Although Illinois’ unemployment rate recently has increased, the state still boasts more career opportunities than people looking for work — with 1.2 job openings for every unemployed person.
While data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there were 27,000 additional hires over the last year at the state and local levels in Illinois, it also establishes that we have fewer state and local government employees now than prior to the global pandemic.
Public employment too often is caricatured as the domain of faceless bureaucrats. In fact, it is disproportionately comprised of the front-line professionals we rely on to deliver education, health care, and public safety services in our communities.
Illinois currently has more than 4,000 unfilled teaching positions, which is double the vacancies reported in 2017. That’s five missing teachers for every school district. In suburban districts, specialized positions like bilingual and special education teachers are the most difficult to fill. And earlier this month, an annual survey of Illinois’ school leaders found that 9-in-10 deem teacher shortages to be a serious issue. With staffing below capacity, school districts have increased class sizes and combined classes. Each can hurt student performance.
Illinois also is short 15,000 registered nurses. A new study authored by my colleagues at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois reveals how this staffing crisis plagues our hospitals and health care facilities. It means less attention is given to each patient, which tends to worsen care outcomes. The report surveyed nearly 400 Illinois nurses and found that 34% were considering leaving the profession within the next year.
Similarly, Illinois’ police chiefs have said that recruitment and retention is their No. 1 challenge. In suburban Oak Park, 27% of police officer positions are vacant. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has more than 70 unfilled positions for deputies and correctional officers. Labor shortages in the police force can have obvious impacts on public safety and the quality of life in our communities.
While very different types of jobs, labor shortages in these vital public service occupations are all linked to similar causes: burnout, inadequate pay, and declining interest among younger workers.
In the survey of school leaders, work-related burnout and insufficient salaries were the two most frequently reported causes of teacher shortages, with half the respondents noting that teachers could find “better compensation in another profession.” Today, Illinois’ teachers earn 24% less than comparable college graduates in other occupations.
Likewise, in the nursing survey, only 27% of respondents said that nurse-to-patient staffing levels were safe where they work. Unsafe staffing causes many nurses to feel emotionally drained, fatigued, and burned out. The No. 1 reason for nurses considering leaving the profession? Unsafe staffing.
And job-related strains and fewer people interested are the most frequent reasons cited for law enforcement shortages. Mandatory overtime and longer hours exert tolls on the existing police force. Heightened politicization and increased scrutiny have also driven many officers away.
The good news is that there are many solutions that can be considered.
Investing in job quality by enhancing pay is the most effective way to combat labor shortages in any sector. Implementing loan forgiveness programs for teachers and nurses and increasing scholarships for those studying education and nursing also would reduce financial barriers to entry in these fields.
Setting up more apprenticeship programs as alternatives to college would upskill workers and build pools of qualified candidates. Enacting statewide nurse-to-patient ratios would reduce burnout for nurses. Pension reforms could help more teachers and police officers build careers in these vital occupations.
These real-world solutions would bolster pathways into in-demand service careers that offer middle-class incomes. Most importantly, they would help improve the delivery of public services for taxpayers — boosting students’ academic achievement, keeping patients healthy and alive, and ensuring communities are safe across Illinois.
• Frank Manzo IV is an economist at the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute.