These are hard times for state human resources (HR) managers. Many are facing layoffs, hiring freezes, cuts in pay and training budgets, low morale and looming retirements. But in the face of extraordinary challenges, most HR professionals are seeking creative, low-cost strategies to make the best of difficult circumstances and to reward, develop, and inspire those employees who are the heart of every state's mission and service delivery.
In this report, we examine the data we collected as part of Grading the States 2008, the Pew Center on the States' management report card. To collect data for the report card, the Government Performance Project (GPP) conducts extensive interviews with state HR officials and asks these officials to complete an online survey and submit various documents. Based on the results of this research, GPP analyzes trends and practices in human capital planning, hiring, retention, workforce development and workforce management. Our analysis reveals practices and strategies that state officials across the country have found to be successful and that should inspire HR professionals to look with new eyes at seemingly intractable problems.
A link to the full report is below. Also read the related 50 state fact sheets that describe each state's efforts to address the following human capital concerns.