Throughout the COVID-19 response and into the current recovery period, demand for new public health staff has been relatively high. Increased funding and need has created an opportunity to expand the public health workforce to levels not seen over the past 15 years. More students are receiving public health degrees than ever before. Given that individuals who have sought formal training in public health disciplines typically have a service-oriented focus, graduates with public health degrees are ideal candidates for the vacancies of governmental public health agencies. Yet, despite significant demand from governmental public health agencies to fill available positions, the vast majority of recent public health graduates seek employment in nongovernmental positions.

This research brief examines: 1) where graduates are working after obtaining public health degrees, 2) why more graduates are not working in governmental public health, 3) factors that motivate those who do work in governmental public health, and 4) how interest in governmental public health differs from interest in public sector employment in general.