Workforce Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government Entities in Minnesota

In fall 2024, the Citizens League partnered with the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) and the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) to develop a policy project to research and explore recruitment and retention challenges and opportunities facing local governments statewide.

What emerged was a six-month project period to gather data, which was synthesized in early 2025 into a report of findings, including recommendations and solutions to support a robust and thriving public workforce.

‘Public service’ is vast and varied. For this research and report, ‘local government public service’ referred to City and County municipal government work in the State of Minnesota. Minnesota’s public sector workforce spans well beyond these two institutions, and the report does include feedback and insights representing other units of government.

Methods:

• Two online surveys:
  • One for individuals who currently work or formerly worked in a local government capacity.
  • A second for members of the public who have not been employed by a local unit of government, focused on their interactions with and understanding of local government roles and responsibilities
• Three virtual listening sessions, open to the public and provided at different times throughout the day
• Group meetings, conducted across the state, to solicit feedback and gather ideas from city, county, and other local government employees or association groups
• One-on-one interviews and conversations with individuals holding relevant experience and feedback

Across all data collection methods, findings represent roughly 91% of counties and roughly 25% of cities in Minnesota statewide.