The House Oversight Committee questions why some state jobs are hard to fill and turnover continues to be a problem in state agencies. (Photo: NCGA screengrab)
The process of managing North Carolina’s massive state government workforce is a big and daunting job under the best of circumstances.
And as was made clear in a recent legislative committee hearing, it’s made much harder by the antiquated and underfunded HR systems the state employs.
At present, the average length of time it takes for the state to hire a new employee is an astonishing 182 days — that’s six months.
As Office of State Human Resources director Staci Meyer told lawmakers, the law under which the state manages hiring, firing and promotions is 60 years old and doesn’t measure up to modern employment practices.
Now add to that the lousy pay and working conditions in numerous departments that have left the state unable to fill thousands of job vacancies, and the dysfunction is even more evident.
The bottom line: The General Assembly needs to get this broken situation under control — both by giving Meyer the support she needs to modernize her office, and department heads the funding they need to attract and keep an adequate workforce.
For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.