Public sector organizations are under increasing pressure to enhance productivity and deliver critical services more efficiently. Yet, many agencies continue to struggle with outdated technologies and manual, paper-based processes that hinder operations and frustrate employees. As these inefficiencies persist, the ability to meet mission objectives is compromised—especially as workforce reductions loom and service demands grow.
Automation offers a compelling opportunity to address these challenges. By streamlining workflows, reducing repetitive tasks, and enabling faster decision-making, automation not only enhances operational efficiency but also frees employees to focus on high-value, mission-critical work. While the benefits are clear, successful implementation requires overcoming key barriers, including limited expertise and a lack of adequate training.
UiPath, in partnership with Market Connections, put together this report to explore how automation can empower public sector organizations to modernize effectively, increase employee productivity, and drive improved outcomes across all levels of government. Download the report to learn more!
Key Challenges
Many public sector employees face daily obstacles that significantly hinder their productivity. Manual processes, such as data entry, physical document handling, and slow approval workflows, remain widespread and contribute to lost time and diminished morale. On average, employees report losing 46 minutes per day due to these inefficiencies, with over 22% losing more than an hour daily. These challenges are exacerbated by outdated infrastructure—70% of employees cite legacy systems as a major barrier to efficiency. The cumulative impact of these issues leads to bottlenecks, redundancy, and delays that interfere with the delivery of public services and the achievement of mission goals.
Automation as a Solution
Automation presents a transformative opportunity to address longstanding inefficiencies in the public sector. By digitizing repetitive tasks and accelerating workflows, automation enables faster decision-making and reduces human error. A vast majority of employees—82%—acknowledge the value of automation in improving productivity and eliminating redundancy. Agencies are increasingly targeting high-impact areas like data entry, reporting, and approval processes for automation, allowing staff to focus on more strategic and mission-aligned work. Among the benefits cited, the most valued is the ability to speed up operations, which is especially critical for state and local governments striving to meet growing demands with limited resources.
Enterprise-Wide Change
Adopting automation effectively requires more than deploying technology—it demands a strategic, organization-wide commitment. Training is a vital part of this transformation, as nearly half of respondents identify lack of training as a significant barrier to adoption. Agencies that approach automation holistically, rather than through isolated use cases, are more likely to achieve meaningful results. There’s a growing trend toward larger-scale automation programs that integrate artificial intelligence (AI), indicating a maturing landscape where AI-enhanced automation can support faster, more cost-effective service delivery. Building internal capability, securing leadership buy-in, and creating a supportive culture are essential to drive sustainable change.
Best Practices
To maximize the impact of automation, public sector agencies must take a thoughtful and strategic approach. First, leadership must treat automation as a core business imperative, with executive-level champions to steer adoption. Agencies should begin by digitizing paper-based processes and automating repetitive tasks to quickly capture efficiency gains and free up employee capacity. Choosing the right technology and vendor partnerships is critical—secure, user-friendly tools facilitate adoption and scalability. Long-term success also depends on maintaining continuous engagement with technology providers to refine tools and address evolving needs. By implementing automation boldly and establishing it as an enterprise-wide priority, agencies can enhance performance and deliver greater value to the public.
Automation empowers public sector organizations to modernize operations, improve employee productivity, and enhance mission outcomes. With the right strategies and tools, it becomes a critical enabler for transformative public service delivery.
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