Skip to main content

A Biennial Report on the State's Position Classification Plan for the 2022-2023 Biennium

October 2020

Summary Analysis

The State Auditor’s Office reviewed the State’s Position Classification Plan (Plan), which provides the salary structure for the State’s 149,892 classified, regular full-time and part-time employees, and results indicate that the Plan provides appropriate salary ranges for the majority of the positions. However, the recommended changes will keep the Plan current, flexible, and equitable.

The recommended changes include:

  • Adding 65 new job classification titles to address gaps in the Plan.
  • Reallocating 24 job classification titles to a higher salary group.
  • Changing 67 job classification titles.
  • Deleting 17 job classification titles.
  • Reassigning 6 job classification titles from Salary Schedule A to Salary Schedule B.
  • Adding a higher-level salary group to Salary Schedule A.

Because the Plan is part of the General Appropriations Act, legislative action is required to implement changes to the Plan. There is no cost associated to state agencies for implementing these changes for the 2022-2023 biennium.

 Jump to Overall Conclusion

The State’s Position Classification Plan (Plan), established in 1961, provides the salary structure for the majority of employees at state agencies. The Plan currently comprises 1,087 job classification titles. Jobs are placed in job classification titles that best depict the nature of the work performed. Employees in those jobs are referred to as “classified” employees. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, the State had 149,892 classified, regular full-time and part-time employees included in the Plan.

Jump to Chapter 1 

The State Auditor’s Office conducted a study to determine the competitiveness of the Plan with similar positions in the private and public sectors and to determine whether changes are needed to maintain a current and competitive structure for state agencies to classify and compensate their employees.

Jump to Chapter 2 

As part of this study, the State Auditor’s Office conducted a market analysis to determine the competitiveness of the Plan using benchmarks, which are jobs in the private and public sectors that match state jobs in terms of duties, scope, and responsibility. The State Auditor’s Office identified a total of 376 benchmark positions that covered 43.3 percent of the State’s classified, regular full-time and part-time employees. Auditors compared the salary range midpoints for these positions with market indices.

Jump to Chapter 2-A 

While the Plan has improved in providing market competitive pay, in some cases, changes are needed to make the Plan current, flexible, and equitable. Those changes include:

  • Adding 65 new job classification titles to address gaps in the Plan.
  • Reallocating 24 job classification titles to a higher salary group.
  • Changing 67 job classification titles.
  • Deleting 17 job classification titles.
  • Reassigning 6 job classification titles from Salary Schedule A to Salary Schedule B.
  • Adding a higher-level salary group to Salary Schedule A.
  • Renumbering certain job classification titles for better flow and ease of use.

Because the Plan is part of the General Appropriations Act, legislative action is required to change the Plan.

Jump to Chapter 2-B 

Recommendations in this report address 54.8 percent of agency requests. Many of the state agencies’ requests that are not included in the State Auditor’s Office’s recommendations could be addressed by those agencies better utilizing the current job classification titles and salary ranges in the Plan. There is no cost associated to state agencies for mplementing these changes for the 2022-2023 biennium.

Jump to Chapter 2-C 

Texas Government Code, Section 654.037, requires the State Auditor’s Office to identify state agencies that experienced an employee turnover rate exceeding 17.0 percent in the preceding biennium and conduct a comparative study of salary rates within those agencies.

Eighteen state agencies had turnover rates exceeding 17.0 percent in fiscal year 2019.

Jump to Chapter 3 

Graphics, Media, Supporting documents

 Read Full Report