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Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that thousands of participants enrolled in traineeship programs, which serve as a pathway towards entry-level state jobs, will receive raises. Above, Hochul signed legislation to help civil servants access student loan forgiveness in September 2022.
In a bid to recruit and retain entry-level state workers, Governor Kathy Hochul announced raises for thousands working in professional traineeships.
About 2,100 individuals are participating in professional traineeships at 46 state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Health, the Department of Civil Service and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Upon completing a two-year traineeship, trainees are promoted to entry-level positions, including into titles such as administrative specialist and human resources specialist.
Those in a Trainee 1 title received a 5.7-percent salary boost effective Thursday, according to the governor’s announcement, with their pay increasing from $49,363 a year to $52,198. Those in Trainee 2 titles got an 11.6-percent bump, with their salaries rising from $52,198 to $58,247.
“Every New Yorker deserves a strong, stable and equitable state government. We count on our state workers to deliver the vital services we rely on every day,” Hochul said in a statement. “These pay increases will allow us to retain and attract our state agency and government employees, so that we can continue our mission to bring the highest quality support New Yorkers expect and deserve, now and into the future.”
As of September, state agencies were looking to fill about 10,000 vacancies, according to Civil Service Commissioner Timothy Hogues. Prior to the pandemic, there were about 185,000 employees working in state agencies and in the state and city university systems, according to the Fiscal Year 2021 State Workforce Briefing Book. By the end of last year, the state workforce consisted of 175,333 employees, according to the executive budget briefing book.
“New York State is looking for the best and brightest to join in a rewarding career in public service,” Hogues said. “To better align with jobseekers’ expectations and to assist State agencies in an ever-increasingly competitive labor market, New York State is increasing the traineeship salaries to attract and retain more candidates to assist state agencies in fulfilling their hiring needs and provide the public with valuable and necessary services.”
The governor’s office noted that more than 280 trainee titles will receive raises. The majority of the trainee positions are in the Professional Technical & Scientific Unit, which is represented by the Public Employees Federation.
“We commend the Governor for continuing to invest in the State workforce and recognizing the value of competitive salaries as a recruitment and retention tool. These pay increases are a good first step toward bringing State salaries in line with the private sector and retaining and recruiting highly skilled public servants,” PEF President Wayne Spence said in a statement. “It’s critical that we address chronic understaffing, and we look forward to the continued review of compensation for State employees as a tool to bolster our ranks and strengthen our workforce.”
The governor has taken several measures to help state and local agencies attract municipal workers, including waiving fees for civil-service exams through December 2025 and establishing the NY HELPS program, which temporarily lifts civil-service exam requirements to help state agencies fill vacancies at a faster rate. So far, state agencies have appointed 18,500 workers through the program.
State Senator Robert Jackson, who chairs the Senate committee on civil service and pensions, noted that raising trainees’ salaries “is a clear declaration of New York’s commitment to competitive, fulfilling public sector careers, drawing forth a new wave of dedicated leaders ready to serve our state.”
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tony560
The article fails to mention that these salary raises are collectively negotiated with the public sector employee unions with state governors' office, the Governor of New York Office of Employee Relations, Hochul does not automatically increase the salaries!
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