A report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum found turnover and vacancy rates for state workers hit record-high levels last year, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The likely causes are an aging work force nearing retirement along with record low unemployment rates.
State agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Health Services saw some of the greatest challenges in areas such as adequate staffing.
Outside of the UW System, 16.4% of Wisconsin’s almost 28,000 workers left their jobs in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022; 10.2% of these left for voluntary reasons other than retirement.
Additionally, 17.7% of the total state government positions outside the UW system were vacant by the end of the same period.
Veterans Affairs experienced the highest turnover rate last year at 27.8%, while the Department of Corrections followed at 19.3%, and the Department of Health Services saw 19%.
From June 2020–July 2022, the rate of inflation reached nearly 15%, but none of the job categories examined received pay increases of more than around 12%, and half of the categories received pay increases of less than half the inflation rate.
Pay is not the only factor impacting recruitment and retention, but Gov. Evers’ budget proposes raises for corrections officers, among other groups. The budget committee is slated to discuss the Department of Corrections Thursday.Â
