State and local public finance faces a growing talent shortage as demand piles up but employment stagnates, according to a new report from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm.

The report, Meeting Demand for State and Local Public Finance Jobs, studied the worker shortage for public finance workers at state and local governments. The analysis revealed that demand for state and local public finance workers is far outstripping the incumbent supply and straining familiar talent pipelines.

The report shows that many other sectors, including private sector finance, have added back jobs lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, but that there are still 30,000 fewer state and local public finance workers at present than in 2019.

• Publication date: September 2022