Public Safety Hiring and Retention Crisis Report 2023

This report addresses the hiring and retention crisis in public safety agencies, detailing the challenges faced by first responders due to increased job openings and decreased applicant rates. It presents data from over four million applications processed through NEOGOV's Insight system, highlighting a 17% rise in job openings alongside a 15% decline in applicants per job from 2021 to 2022. The report notes a slight improvement in Q1 2023, with a 4% increase in applicants compared to the previous year. It outlines the negative cycle of turnover and burnout, emphasizing the need for agencies to make public safety jobs more appealing to potential candidates. Additionally, the report identifies the hardest jobs to fill and discusses the implications of declining applicant rates across various job categories. Strategies for reversing these trends are also presented, focusing on enhancing job appeal and improving recruitment processes to attract qualified candidates effectively.