A Performance Audit
An Annual Report on Classified Employee Turnover for Fiscal Year 2017
December 2017
Summary Analysis
The fiscal year 2017 statewide turnover rate was 18.6 percent for classified, regular, full- and part-time employees based on 28,218 separations. Those separations included both voluntary and involuntary separations. That was the highest turnover rate of the past five fiscal years and was an increase from the fiscal year 2016 statewide turnover rate of 17.6 percent. The statewide turnover rate during the past five fiscal years has ranged from a low of 17.5 percent in fiscal year 2014 to the high of 18.6 percent in fiscal year 2017.
Key Points
- Turnover for full- and part-time classified employees in fiscal year 2017 is the highest turnover rate of the past five fiscal years.
- Excluding the health and human services agencies, the Juvenile Justice Department had the highest turnover rate among state agencies with 1,000 or more employees in fiscal year 2017.
- Employees under the age of 30 and those with fewer than 2 years of state service left state employment at a higher rate than other employee age and state service groups.
- The Criminal Justice, Social Services, Custodial, Medical and Health, and Education occupational categories made up approximately one-half (50.9 percent) of the State’s classified workforce and 68.4 percent of total separations
- Fourteen agencies had turnover rates that exceeded 17.0 percent in fiscal year 2017 (excluding agencies that had fewer than 50 employees). Twelve of those agencies also had turnover rates of more than 17.0 percent in fiscal year 2016.
- The top three reasons reported for leaving state agency employment during fiscal year 2017 were for retirement, for better pay/benefits, or because of poor working conditions/environment.
The statewide turnover rate for classified, regular, full- and part-time employees for fiscal year 2017 was 18.6 percent based on a total of 28,218 voluntary and involuntary separations, excluding interagency transfers, and a statewide average headcount of 151,630.50. That was the highest turnover rate of the past five fiscal years and was an increase from the fiscal year 2016 statewide turnover rate of 17.6 percent.
The information in this chapter reflects the fiscal year 2017 turnover that is considered a loss to the State; therefore, separations attributable to a transfer from one state agency to another state agency or higher education institution are excluded because interagency transfers are not considered a loss to the State as a whole. The only exception to this is turnover by agency. In determining turnover by agency, interagency transfers are included because they are considered a loss to an agency.
Fourteen state agencies had turnover rates that exceeded 17.0 percent in fiscal year 2017 (excluding agencies that had fewer than 50 employees). Twelve of those agencies also had turnover rates that exceeded 17.0 percent in fiscal year 2016.
Based on 3,364 employee exit surveys (not including employees from higher education institutions), the top 3 reasons employees reported in exit surveys for voluntarily leaving employment at their state agencies during fiscal year 2017 were:
- Retirement.
- Better pay/benefits.
- Poor working conditions/environment.
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