Public Sector Predictions for 2022

As a result of the pandemic, 2021 became another unprecedented year for the public sector when it comes to health, security, and politics. 

One of our cross-industry thought leaders, Matthew Lydic, outlined his predictions for the public sector in 2022 to highlight what changes we can expect in the new year. 

New Sources of Funding  

Driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States will experience a historical level of federal funding from the prior and current administrations. Public sector entities at the State, County, and City levels have been candidate recipients for new funding opportunities tied to pandemic relief. In many cases, the funding is “use it or lose it” and is competitive from a set pool of funds.

New Systems for Management

The rapid (and temporary) influx of above-average pandemic-relief funding will feed the public sector’s need for solutions to track funding applications, awards, disbursement, abuse, and fraud. So, outside the funding of the specific program or set of initiatives, states, counties, and cities are faced with the responsibility to accurately and transparently account for their use of relief funding.

Flexible Work Policies

More public sector entities will adopt more flexible work policies (e.g., hybrid, remote) this year. While many public sector institutions have living requirements (i.e., an employee must live in the city, state, etc. of the public sector institution), working from home opens more possibilities of remote work for employers outside of one’s home city or state. Entities who do not adopt some aspect of these policies will lose current employees (potentially to the private sector) and hurt recruiting efforts. 

Changing Workforce

More state and local government leaders and operations staff will retire in 2022. More Gen X and Millennials will start to assume strategic leadership positions causing culture and technology changes in the industry to accelerate even faster.

Platform digital technology that supports flexible work policies

More firms will adopt digital technology platforms that support the “work from anywhere” model. These increasingly cloud-based platforms will also allow for more efficient data management, integration, and secure access. Both leaders and staff will need to learn these digital skills to keep up with the pace of change.

Investments in Cybersecurity

With digital technology accelerating, public sector clients will invest in cybersecurity to safeguard citizen data. A data breach could damage public trust and could introduce lawsuits, so public sector entities will do everything possible to minimize these risks.

Citizen Experience

As the customers for the public sector, all citizens in the served community are coming to expect an “Amazon-like” online experience. This Customer Experience touches on many constituents. The ultimate goal is to allow citizens equal (if not improved) accesses to currently offered public services. This direction is supported by the aforementioned predictions.

HIKE2 has been an integral part of groundbreaking solutions provided across multiple state and local governments. We specialize in solutions delivered on the Salesforce platform, including a variety of third-party integrated software solutions. Our client references in the Public Sector are open to sharing their operational challenges, their experience in selecting and working with HIKE2, and the results we helped them to achieve.

About HIKE2, Inc: We are a digital solutions consultancy focused on helping our clients become better companies for their customers. We help our customers unlock the potential of their organization, through technology, and all along their customers’ journey. By leveraging technology, strategic partnerships, and our experienced and passionate team, we support our clients to drive digital transformation and create incredible customer experiences while producing profitable growth and achieving operational efficiency. HIKE2 is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Visit www.hike2.com for more information.