Finding qualified people to take state government jobs has become harder than ever, leaving some high-stress departments woefully short.
Instead of focusing attention and resources on the jobs that most need to be filled, however, Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s fiscal 2024 budget plan would authorize spending for all 1,700 open positions – and 136 more.
As this week’s cover story reports, there are several state agencies and departments in clear need of more workers. But are more than 1,800 more state workers really needed?
And more to the point: Can the state afford them with a recession looming and the spigot on federal pandemic aid about to run dry?
In 2008 and 2009, then-Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican who championed leaner government, responded to recession-fueled budget deficits by eliminating hundreds of state jobs.
But state jobs started growing again, before the pandemic led to a mass exodus of workers to a better-paying private sector that’s been dealing with its own worker shortage.
Rep. Brian C. Newberry, R-North Smithfield, wants an in-depth analysis of state jobs to decide which are essential and which can be done without.
That doesn’t mean mass layoffs or job cuts, as former Gov. Carcieri famously threatened in 2009. But the best way to avoid layoffs is to show that the jobs you are budgeting for are both necessary and can be afforded in an uncertain, post-pandemic economy.
Clearing out unfilled, nonessential positions might also lead to better pay for those high-stress jobs the state is now struggling to find workers for.
