Factors Affecting Workforce Resilience in Public Transportation Agencies

Abstract

Ensuring the resiliency of a nation’s transportation infrastructure network requires a skilled and dependable workforce; this relies heavily on a transportation agency’s ability to recruit and retain their employees. Public transportation agencies face unprecedented challenges in preserving the workforce necessary to function effectively and need robust strategies to maintain workforce resiliency by recruiting and retaining quality staff to construct and maintain transportation infrastructure now and into the future. This study identified existing workforce issues and recruitment and retention practices by state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and compared rural and urban transportation employee outlooks. Results indicated that the primary incentives for current DOT employees to consider private-sector employment are better salary and promotional opportunities. Additionally, rural DOT regions have a more difficult time recruiting and retaining employees, and rural DOT employees feel that DOTs are not fully aware of their needs. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a means to assess and ultimately improve workforce resiliency in public transportation agencies, thereby allowing management to maintain transportation infrastructure successfully.