New York City's full-time government workforce is expected to increase year-over-year for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Wednesday by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The city's 2024 fiscal year (fiscal year) ends in June and is expected to have at least 283,000 full-time employees, up from 281,917 in June 2023.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed New York City’s public workforce,” DiNapoli said. “The city has worked to stabilize its workforce and fill critical vacancies while containing costs.While staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic levels, the city has increased its workforce for the first time since the pandemic began. It should end the fiscal year.”
The number of city employees in fiscal year 2020 is still down about 5% compared to pre-pandemic employment of 300,446. As part of the city's Gap Closing Program, a general hiring freeze was implemented from October 2023 to February 2024, leaving the number of employees at 284,330. As of January 2024, the number of employees has increased by 2,413.
Staffing remains uneven across city agencies, with some agencies still experiencing higher turnover and vacancies than last year. For example, the Probation Department's turnover rate increased by 128.6% compared to pre-pandemic job opening averages, the Building Department's turnover rate increased by 68.3%, and the Fire Department's turnover rate increased by 52%.
As a result of uneven turnover, some categories of government jobs experienced higher rates of attrition. The biggest declines were in public safety positions such as police officers, corrections officers, dispatchers, construction inspectors and protective services workers, which are primarily made up of school safety workers. Administrative support roles such as executive assistants, clerks, and higher education staff assistants have also been significantly reduced. Since December 2022, the number of employees has decreased in 24 out of 71 major occupations in the city, but there have been increases in positions such as fire inspectors, biology and life scientists, and customer service representatives.
In an effort to cut costs, the city's vacancy rate has been cut by almost half. The Department of Education has 7,745 vacancies in 2023 and currently does not have enough staff to meet state class size mandates. Some agencies, particularly those that have not focused on reducing costs by reducing vacancies, are still seeing vacancy rates rise compared to pre-pandemic levels. The highest vacancy rate by program area was in Environmental Protection at 11.5%, followed by Transportation (10%) and Health and Mental Hygiene (9.3%).
To reduce vacancies, the city has accelerated hiring since the pandemic, increasing civil service exams and reaching out to potential applicants through the city's online recruiting hub. For example, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), which manages the city's civil service system, says the average median time from test administration to test result completion has increased from an average of 318 days in fiscal year 2021 to 219 days in fiscal year 2023. It is reported that it has been shortened. DCAS applications for all civil service exams increased from 75,489 in 2021 to 119,599 in 2023, and DCAS also saw the number of job applications received via the city's online recruitment hub nearly double in two years It is reported that it has become. In 2023, the number will be 736,011.
The Office of Administrative Trial Hearings and the Office of Youth and Community Development more than doubled the number of hires for fiscal year 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, the Department of Human Services, which is facing significant staffing challenges due to the pandemic combined with increased demand for public assistance, will hire 1,228 additional employees in fiscal year 2024, an increase of 82.9% compared to pre-pandemic hiring levels. % increased. .
Some government agencies are using overtime to address staffing challenges, with overtime costs increasing from $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2024 through March 2024, compared to $1.1 billion through the same period in fiscal year 2021. increased to $1.8 billion. The increase in overtime is primarily driven by unitary institutions, but there are also institutions such as governments. The Department of Children's Services and the Office of Human Resources significantly increased overtime spending compared to pre-pandemic levels.
DiNapoli has warned that the city's response to these ongoing staffing challenges will have significant fiscal implications. Overtime may occur in the short term, but since such spending was not anticipated when the budget was adopted, the gap must be filled by generating revenue or reducing planned spending. The City of DiNapoli recommends that the City continue its efforts to target appropriate staffing levels to meet necessary demands and ensure the provision of quality services to residents.
A recent Mayor's Management Report shows that some services are being negatively affected by staffing restrictions and provides details linking spending and staffing to agency performance metrics. In November 2023, DiNapoli released an agency service monitoring tool. This tool extends these reports by displaying corresponding staffing and expense data. Understanding the city's staffing challenges requires a comprehensive review of both financial and performance data.
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