CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 1,000 jobs remain open in North Carolina's state government, according to a recent review of the state's employment portal.
"I think the vacancies in state government are the biggest issue, the biggest problem for North Carolinians of which they're completely unaware," Ardis Watkins, Executive Director for the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said on WCNC's Flashpoint.
Watkins said the vacancies are making state government inefficient.
"Taxpayers are paying for 100% of the services. They're getting about 75% of the services right now, due to the 25%, practically, vacancy rate in state government," she said.
The vacancies are causing slowdowns for a variety of state services; from genetic testing for newborns, to inspections for the state's elevators and roller coasters. Watkins said the vacancy rate at some state prisons is 60%.
The N.C. General Assembly is currently debating revisions to it's two-year budget. Lawmakers in both houses have looked at eliminating some of the red tape involved in the state's hiring process, but so far, plans have not included pay raises beyond last year's pay raise.
"We don't pay enough. State government has never paid what the private market pays. But that that has caught up with us now," she said.
Lawmakers say current budget estimates project a $1 billion revenue surplus for the state. Watkins would like to see that money used for retaining and attracting state employees, and says it's costing taxpayers extra money otherwise.
"The cost of turnover, the cost of people leaving these jobs is hundreds of millions of dollars to the taxpayer every year. So to not spend a little additional money to keep people in these jobs, you're spending a lot more money to lose them. So when you talk about effective government that's inefficient from a business standpoint. It's not it doesn't make common sense. It's not the way that we would run our own businesses," Watkins said.
Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || Google Podcasts || iHeart
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.