Wisconsin Government Agencies See Record Employee Turnover

Thursday, June 8th, 2023 -- 12:00 PM

(By Gaby Vinick, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin's government agencies saw record employee turnover last year, according to a new report.

According to Gaby Vinick with Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Policy Forum reported Tuesday the state workforce experienced the highest turnover rates in nearly two decades. That's adding strain to state-run facilities that operate 24 hours a day, such as prisons and care facilities.

"It's going to make it more difficult for those agencies to fulfill their mission, especially in the short-term," said Jason Stein, Wisconsin Policy Forum's research director. According to the report, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health Services are still struggling with staffing levels.

"It's notable, because when you're running, let's say, a home that cares for elderly veterans, just shutting down the home for a few hours is not an option," he said. "There's got to be staffing provided at all hours of the day and night, same in a prison, same in a psychiatric institution."

The impact of that can increase over time, Stein added, and create challenges for institutions to be run effectively. Without more staff to replace those who left, vacancies also rose. In 2022, veterans affairs had 570 unfilled full-time positions, the research group reported.

The vacancy rate stood at about 31 percent in 2020 but jumped to 46.1 percent last year, the largest of any agency since at least 2004. The Department of Corrections had just under 2,400 vacancies last year, rising from 12.7 percent in 2020 to 23.4 percent. And DHS had more than 1,000.

The research group looked to the State of Wisconsin Classified Workforce and Affirmative Action Report, which covers all state employees save for those in judicial or legislative branches, the UW System, elected officials, appointees, assistant district attorney and public defender attorneys, limited-term and project workers.

The report is published every two years. The vacancy rate among the state's 20 largest departments rose to about 18 percent in June 2022, according to the report. That's up from about 12 percent the same month in 2018 and 2020.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.