Governor Cooper says NC sees signs of improvement in filling state government vacancies

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The latest data shows the job vacancy rate in the North Carolina state government reached a new high but held steady during much of 2023 after a sharp increase during the pandemic.

The vacancy rate climbed to 23.1 percent across state government, according to the NC Office of State Human Resources. It was 20.6 percent in May 2022.

Agencies such as Adult Correction, Health and Human Services and Public Safety have had an especially hard time filling positions.

“The infrastructure for the state is made up primarily of state employees. And, if we can’t keep those jobs filled, we can’t be there to respond: to clear roads, to help people who are in trouble,” said Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said he met with his Cabinet on Monday, and that some agency heads reported progress in hiring through initiatives like sign-on and retention bonuses, hiring events and targeted raises for some of the hardest-to-fill jobs.

Citizens have seen impacts, such as the months-long wait many people experience trying to get an appointment at the DMV.

He pointed to corrections officers when he said, “The percentage of vacancies has decreased pretty significantly with all of the recruiting efforts that we have done. Also, at the DMV, there’s also been improvement in hiring.”

Watkins had urged state lawmakers to give state employees 5 percent raises this year and next year along with a $5,000 bonus.

In the budget that went into effect in October, the Republican-led General Assembly approved pay raises for state employees that were 7 percent on average across two years.

“Well, if the vacancy rate is staying flat, that’s incredibly concerning because the way you should look at that is not, ‘Oh wow, it didn’t get worse.’ It’s that, ‘My goodness, it’s not getting at all better,’” Watkins said.

In data provided to CBS 17, OSHR noted a 28.8 percent vacancy rate in the Dept. of Adult Correction. The Dept. of Health and Human Services has 26.5 percent of its positions vacant. Vacancies in transportation, public safety and the Office of State Auditor also exceed 20 percent.

OSHR data shows the overall vacancy rate reached 23.1 percent in May 2023 and remained at that level into the fall.

Many agencies are competing with employers in the private sector at a time of historically low unemployment. North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in November, which was below the national unemployment rate of 3.7 percent, according to the NC Dept. of Commerce.

“And, I think it’s really important that we continue to fill these jobs,” Gov. Cooper said. “I think you’re seeing real efforts by the leaders in state government to try to recruit people to state jobs.”

Watkins said she’s continuing discussions with state lawmakers about the issue ahead of their return to Raleigh in April for the legislature’s short session.

“This is not just health and safety, which should be important enough. But, it literally affects the ability of North Carolina’s economic engine to keep running,” she said.

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