When positions aren’t appealing to applicants, sometimes the jobs need to be changed, government hiring officials say.

This fall, as Jefferson County, Colorado prepared for the first snowfalls of the season, residents were notified that they shouldn’t expect the usual speed of snow removal. 

“We’re down approximately thirty snowplow drivers,” says Jennifer Fairweather, human resources director there. “We haven’t had the first snow yet, but we know there are some things we just won’t be able to do.”

The data is alarming: Between fiscal 2019 and 2021, government job applications per job dropped 32% in states and localities, data shows. But there are strategies to counteract the trend.

"The notion that states and localities should have workforces that are diverse and inclusive is nothing new and it’s been our impression that historical progress has been made on that front.