Building capacity isn’t always about more people
For years, communications teams solved capability problems the same way: hire someone new.
New channel? Recruit a specialist.
Someone resigns? Replace the role.
New project? Add more capacity.
But in the current government environment, that approach is becoming harder to justify and, in some cases, impossible to do.
When I worked in-house, that was often my default thinking too. Our media officer left, hire a new media officer. When social media became a ‘thing’, we hired specialists.
We are now in a different landscape.
- Government recruitment has shifted significantly over the past 12 months. Many departments are managing recruitment freezes, reducing contractor use, restructuring or delaying new hires. At the same time, communications teams are still expected to deliver more.
- People are less willing to switch roles, with job mobility at its lowest level since 2010 (during the GFC), and many are now unwilling to change industries or move states for a role[1].
- There are changing expectations from staff. Staff want more from their employers than just a stable job, a pay rise, or a leadership position[2]. They are looking for continuous learning, inclusive environments, and clear pathways for growth that align with their values.
- Research from the World Economic Forum estimates that more than half of the global workforce – 54 per cent[3] – will require significant upskilling by the end of this year. As many traditional roles are automated, the skills required will be very different to those our staff acquired at university or in the workforce even five years ago.[4]
Time to look within
In many government teams right now, recruitment is no longer a quick or straightforward solution. Roles can take months to approve, advertise and fill, if you can recruit at all.
At the same time, communications teams are under pressure to deliver new projects, respond to changing priorities and maintain business-as-usual work with limited resources.
That creates tension. Teams are already stretched, and waiting for additional resources or funding may not be realistic in the short term.
Before assuming you need to recruit externally, consider:
- Could you create a short-term acting opportunity for someone internally? Temporary opportunities, stretch roles or transfers from adjacent teams can help build capability while also giving staff meaningful development opportunities. But consider what you will be giving up by ‘shuffling the deck chairs’, don’t ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ (I’ve heard a lot of these analogies lately).
- Could you upskill someone already in your team? Targeted training in areas such as digital content, AI, social analytics, or stakeholder engagement may be faster, cheaper, and more sustainable than a lengthy recruitment process.
- Does the role need to be replaced exactly as it existed before? Just because your team has always had a dedicated media officer or channel specialist does not necessarily mean that structure still reflects your current priorities. Work with your team to understand what work is high-value and what you might be able to give up.
- Are there opportunities to redesign roles across the team? In some cases, broadening generalist capability across a communications function can create more flexibility and resilience than relying on highly specialised roles.
But it’s more than just the skills you will gain
In an environment where recruitment approvals take longer, budgets are tighter and workforce structures are changing, capability building becomes a strategic workforce decision, not simply a professional development activity.
Building capability isn’t just about filling a hole in your team. It has a whole range of benefits:
- Retain staff – Identifying, nurturing, and building staff maintains corporate knowledge and builds team culture. High-performing staff are less likely to stay if they cannot see opportunities to develop their skills or grow their career. You may not keep them forever, but you will certainly keep them for longer if they feel like there are opportunities.
- Create better employee engagement – Research conducted by Deloitte in partnership with RMIT Online has shown that employees prefer a “learning culture” over a “fun culture” at work. A majority of employees would prefer job-relevant training to enhance their skills over other perks, such as social events or even a $ 2,500 annual pay rise.[5]
- Make staff feel recognised and rewarded – Offering training, professional development, and career progression opportunities demonstrates that you want to invest in them. It is an opportunity for you to reward those who have committed to the organisation.
Upskilling existing staff is not about asking already-burnt-out teams to take on more. It is about making more deliberate decisions about where specialist skills are genuinely required and where capability can be built internally over time.
But capability building only works when leaders create space for it. It isn’t enough to agree to pay for a course or find a conference. If every minute is consumed by delivery, staff will always put professional development at the bottom of the to-do list.
Professional development is not the answer every time. Sometimes you just need more bodies, more brains, more time. Sometimes it is a different team structure or clearer priorities.
The important thing is to make a deliberate decision rather than defaulting to recruitment because it’s how we are used to doing it.
Resources
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-25/not-moving-jobs-not-starting-businesses-not-moving-states-data/106599004
[2] https://www.happydance.love/insights/posts/gen-z-career-growth-expectations-2025/
[3] https://www.weforum.org/impact/reskilling-revolution-preparing-1-billion-people-for-tomorrows-economy/
[4] https://online.rmit.edu.au/blog/great-debate-should-you-train-your-staff-or-hire-new-skills