State hiring outpaces attrition for first time in a decade

But OT hours, spending continues to grow

Hiring of state workers outpaced attrition for the first time in nearly a decade in 2023, according to the state comptroller’s office. But the state’s civil-service headcount remains below pre-pandemic levels and is significantly smaller than it was 15 years ago, a report by the comptroller’s Office of Budget and Policy Analysis noted.

While 14,699 state workers retired or left their jobs in 2023, the most recent for which data is available, 17,504 were hired, the report found. It also concluded that the attrition rate among state employees spiked 26 percent in 2021 compared to a year earlier, with 16,858 employees leaving their jobs.