Activating Talent in the Public Sector: The STAR Mobility Compass

A government’s ability to deliver essential services depends directly on the strength of its workforce. The public sector is one of the nation’s largest employers, with more than 15% of U.S. workers serving in roles that span every occupational category — from first responders and teachers to scientists, engineers, and public administrators. Workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) are critical to meeting these staffing needs.

James, Malinda, and Ali, STARs

Putting skills first can open opportunities for over 1.5 million more STARs in good-paying, public sector jobs by 2030.

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The STAR Mobility Compass shows that it is possible to make significant improvements to STAR mobility and strengthen hiring pipelines by prioritizing skills in hiring, compensation, and job design. The public sector has a key role to play in advancing this vision. State and local governments can:

Increase STARs' share of key public sector jobs

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Compensate STARs for valuable skills in common low-wage public sector jobs

Ensure STAR access to higher-wage, new-to-world public sector jobs

We identify 30 target occupations — high demand roles that provide upward mobility opportunities for STARs. Together, small increases in STAR hiring across these roles would result in over 431,000 good public sector jobs for STARs.

Raising wages in five low-wage, highly-skilled, and essential roles in the public sector can increase retention and improve the economic standing of over 1 million STARs.

Technological advancements such as AI are predicted to create new-to-world jobs. With intentional talent management, the skills of at least 200,000 STARs can be leveraged to fill these roles in state and local government.

Turn your learning into action at the STARs Public Sector Hub

Opportunity@Work is committed to supporting public sector leaders at the federal, state and local level. We work with partners who support all levels of government to reach STARs in their communities and advance executive initiatives and legislation.

As a hub member, you’ll gain access to practical resources, exclusive events, and webinars designed to strengthen your skills-based talent practice efforts. Build networks with peers and nonprofit partners, share challenges and solutions, and accelerate your impact. Together, we can open more pathways to economic mobility for STARs across the public sector.

Paige and Kelly, STARs