West Tamar mayor Christina Holmdahl said a shortage of suitably qualified candidates, and a lack of vocational and higher education training providers both contributed to the issue.

However, Cr Holmdahl - who is also the president of the Local Government Association of Tasmania - said the inability to compete with the private sector on remuneration was by far the most problematic factor.

"We've noticed it's particularly difficult to find people qualified in planning, environmental health and safety, and engineering," she said.

"When there's shortages like that, it increases the demand for those services, meaning employers are willing to pay more, and councils just aren't able to compete."

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A similar sentiment was echoed by Meander Valley mayor Wayne Johnston who said the issue which he referred to as the "great resignation" and the "war for talent" affected councils right across the state.

"Answering why there's attraction and retention issue is complex," he said.

"The big picture is that the labour market has changed, and severe skills shortages, restricted migration, as well as a clear change in the career priorities of people, mean the market is very different than two years ago and is now highly competitive."

Cr Johnston also said - despite Tasmania's attractive lifestyle - emerging economic and social factors were influencing people's choices

"These include scarce rental accommodation, high rents and relocation costs, as well as high house prices and cost of living expenses."

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Lower wages compared to the mainland, as well as distance, commuting time and fuel costs, were also mentioned by Cr Johnston as factors contributing to the issue.

Former Meander Valley councillor Susie Bower believed a decrease in staff and councillor retention almost always came down to council leadership issues.

"Unfortunately it varies, as some councils are led very well, while others simply aren't," she said.

Having recently made the jump into the private sector after a brief stint in federal politics, Ms Bower said the difference in professionalism and efficiency between large corporations and local government was significant.

"Councils aren't businesses, but the councillors, mayor, and general manager essentially mimic the structure of a corporate board, and make decisions on projects that cost into the tens of millions of dollars, so having the right people is crucial not only in ensuring no mistakes are made, but in keeping morale high too," she said.

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For the small North-East municipality of Flinders Island, Mayor Annie Revie said the council's recent efforts in attracting staff across the board were going "terribly".

Cr Revie cited multiple reasons for this, including travel costs and isolation, however, she believed a lack of available housing on the island was the biggest issue.

"Essentially any private residence that's put up for sale here is snapped up within a few weeks," she said.

"We've had several instances where someone has successfully applied for a job with the council before pulling out at the last minute because they couldn't find anywhere to live."

In addition to staffing woes, Cr Revie said she was anticipating three councillors would step down before the upcoming elections in October, something that Burnie mayor Steve Kons said was an often overlooked issue for councils.

"The focus is generally on keeping staff happy, but retaining councillors is equally as difficult, and from the conversations I've had the general consensus is that four-year terms - which are double what they used to be - are too long," he said.

"If you're not seasoned to longevity within a political environment, it can become a little overwhelming and possibly lead to burnout."

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Mr Kons also believed the negative community confrontations councillors were often subjected to played a large role in putting off pre-existing councillors from standing for second terms.

"There are always bullies in the community that think politicians and members of local government are easy fodder to attack," he said.

"It's unfortunate, but we just have to deal with it."

The employee attraction and retention complaints come just two months after the City of Launceston, and Devonport, both called for amalgamations in a bid to streamline expenditure. Four mayors in the state's North - including Cr Johnston and Cr Holmdahl - publicly opposed the proposal.

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