In 2019, the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA), Accenture and NEOGOV surveyed State Chief Administrators to understand critical workforce goals and challenges. The resulting report, Job One: Reimagine the State Government workforce, highlighted the significant challenges state governments are facing as they compete to attract and retain top talent. In 2020, we set out to study the progress that state chief administrators and Human Resource (HR) directors are making in their workforce journeys. Along the way, the COVID-19 outbreak introduced unprecedented uncertainty and change – compounding the challenges and making the need for transformation even more urgent.