The Brutal Reality of Hiring in Government Staffing Today
The labor market has cooled from its 2021-2022 peak, but don't mistake that for easy hiring. While unemployment sits at 4.4% and job openings have declined to 7.1 million, critical talent shortages persist across every sector government contractors need to staff. The combination of structural workforce gaps and government-specific constraints creates a perfect storm for federal contractors.
The Brutal Reality: Structural Talent Shortages Everywhere
The labor market has cooled from 2021-2022, but critical sectors face severe shortages that won't resolve soon. Across every discipline government contractors staff, demand far exceeds supply while worker expectations have permanently shifted.
Healthcare Crisis: 3 million workers needed by 2026. Average RN time-to-fill: 83 days. 41% of hospitals operate with 10%+ vacancy rates.
Cybersecurity Gap: 4.8 million unfilled roles globally, 265,000 specifically in federal contracting. 92% of cleared cyber professionals already employed.
Cleared Personnel Shortage: 70,000 more cleared positions than cleared professionals. Secret clearance: 138 days. Top Secret: 243 days.
Federal contractors face the same talent shortages as everyone else, but with added constraints that make winning nearly impossible:
Protracted Timelines: Healthcare: 83 days average. Cleared IT: 60-90 days plus 4-8 months for clearance. You face 90-day windows to staff 20+ roles while competitors start people in two weeks.
Below-Market Compensation: TPA-based awards mean 20-30% below market rates. Half of organizations struggle to retain cyber talent due to salary competition. You're asking candidates to accept less when they're trading $50,000 for flexibility.
Zero Flexibility: 84% of candidates reject inflexible offers. Task orders require onsite work. SCIF requirements eliminate remote options. You're offering what most candidates won't accept.
Past Performance at Risk: Every vacant position damages CPARS ratings. The Golden Halo takes years to build, months to destroy.
The Solution: Infrastructure You Can't Afford To Build
What Winning Requires
You're not competing with other government contractors. You're competing with private sector employers offering 20-30% higher salaries, tech companies with full remote work, and any employer starting people in weeks instead of months.
Database Depth: 1.4 million candidates across 129 specialties including cleared personnel. When 92% of cleared professionals are employed, you need direct relationships, not job boards.
Technology Infrastructure: AI-driven sourcing contacting 1,500+ candidates daily. Mobile-optimized experiences. Automated systems creating efficiency when fills take 3-6 months.
Sales Expertise: Recruiters who sell candidates on remote locations and below-market compensation when 84% reject inflexible offers. This isn't HR. This is sales.
What Our Clients Achieve
Instead of building this infrastructure yourself (millions of dollars, years of time), partner with the only RPO built exclusively for government staffing.
97% Fill Rate: vs. 50% industry average across healthcare, IT, cybersecurity, engineering, and 129 specialties.
85% Faster Revenue: We get you from award to revenue dramatically faster than 83-day healthcare or 90-day cleared role timelines.
Access to Cleared Talent: Pre-existing relationships when 92% are already employed and clearances take 4-8 months.
Candidates Who Stay: 3-year warranty. We deliver the Golden Halo past performance that wins future contracts.
Less Than 3% of Revenue: Complete talent acquisition engine for what you'd spend on one internal recruiter.
