On the Job in Brief

Government public health underpaid

State and local public health jobs are underpaid compared to those in the private sector, a new study reports.

The study, published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, analyzed job listings for 44 public health occupations in state and local health departments and the public and private sectors.

Researchers found that about 61% of the occupations paid significantly less in state and local health departments. Government jobs that paid between 20% and 50% less included roles such as management analyst, emergency management director, social worker and registered nurse. Jobs that paid 7% to 19% less included environmental engineers and scientists, nutritionists and nurse practitioners.

Jobs paying more in government included some mental and health education roles, social and human service assistants, and medical record specialists.

The study also found that for 37 occupations, state and local health departments were less likely than the private sector to require at least a master’s degree.

Local public health losing workers

Local health departments are losing more staff, amplifying longtime concerns about declining public health capacity.

In July, the National Association of County and City Health Officials released results from its 2024 Forces of Change Survey, an annual report that tracks changes in public health trends. In 2023, according to the report, 19% of local health departments reported job losses an increase from 14% in 2021 and 17% in 2022. The rate is even higher for large health departments, increasing to 40%.

Some of the reductions may be due to the loss of temporary staffing brought on board during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report noted.

Health departments are also reporting financial struggles. Seventeen percent of local health departments reported budget cuts in fiscal year 2024 and 23% anticipate cuts in fiscal year 2025.

For more information, visit www.naccho.org.

Public health grads opt for private jobs

Fewer public health graduates are choosing to work in governmental public health, finds a recent study.

Published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, the study is based on data from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Career Trends Survey, which collected responses from nearly 2,000 alumni. In every decade studied, the most frequently reported first job after graduation was in health care, followed by government and education sectors.

Beginning in the 1970s, the proportion of respondents whose first jobs were in the nonprofit sector began to rise, especially among those who graduated between 2000 and 2019, the study found. In the 2010s, more graduates were finding their first jobs in the nonprofit sector than in the for-profit one.

However, first jobs in government declined from 33% of public health graduates before 1980 to 22% among those who graduated in the 2010s.

“One major takeaway from our results is the popularity of the public health practice, public health administration and epidemiology MPH degrees,” researchers said.

School mental health staff help students

School-based mental health staff can help protect kids from the adverse mental impacts that can come from living in a disadvantaged neighborhood, according to a new study.

The study, published in June in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was based on survey results from students at middle and high schools in Massachusetts, as well as census data related to neighborhood deprivation, which are measures of financial, educational and other material resources in a community.

Researchers noted that prior studies have shown “powerful links” between neighborhood deprivation and poor adolescent mental health. In the new study, researchers found that higher student to mental health staff ratios weakened associations between neighborhood deprivation and anxiety, depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, and substance use.

“Students are more likely to receive behavioral health services at school than in any other system,” senior author Randi M. Schuster, PhD, said in a news release. “It’s critical for us to identify the most effective strategies to support schools so that they, in turn, can support kids.”