Inslee Eyes Turnover Rates Among State Workers

OLYMPIA, WA — Turnover among state employees has surged this fiscal year, prompting the governor to explore ways to attract and retain workers. According to Gov. Jay Inslee's office, recent turnover rates are considerably higher than average. More vacancies mean more shortages interrupting services, and training new workers can prove costly.

"While keeping employees may be expensive, losing them may be even more costly," Inslee's office said Friday. "Turnover within state government leaped from a five-year average of 14.8% to 20.3% in the fiscal year 2023, tracking national trends. The state Office of Financial Management estimates that replacing an employee may cost one-third of the position’s salary. Disruptions of service from vacancies may have a heavy cost, too."

The governor's proposed 2023-25 budget includes funds for broad raises, and others tailored for more specialized positions and those with the highest turnover rates. Inslee's office said multiple agencies are also looking at how to make scheduling policies more attractive to employees.

Right now, state officials said customer service vacancies at licensing offices have extended wait times for customers, and IT shortages leave the state at higher risk for data breaches. The state is also continuing its effort to attract a new generation of workers to man Washington State Ferries vessels amid a global shortage in the maritime workforce.

"WSF operates the largest public ferry system in the country," Inslee's office said. "Its 21 ferries carry more than 24 million people a year to 19 terminals in Washington, but on-time performance has dwindled due to a diminished workforce. Similar circumstances have presented in Alaska, British Columbia, Maine, and New York — regional ferry systems have been hampered by scarce reserve employees."

Most vacancies can take more than a year to fill, due to stringent Coast Guard requirements guiding training and certification. The state is working with the Seattle Maritime Academy, which offers a one-year program that officials say can land graduates a job making $80,000 not long after completion.

“For many young people I talk to, it’s a foreign concept to work on a boat,” said Dale Bateman, dean of the Seattle Maritime Academy. “Some think it won’t pay well — that cannot be further from the truth. There’s good money in maritime careers and working aboard ferries.”

Raises for ferry workers are already on the books over the next two fiscal years, along with pathways for deckhands to work their way up the ladder.

>> Read more about the state workforce shortages on the governor's blog.