All permanent state employees should get pay raises of 4%, or $1.25 per hour, according to the Idaho Division of Human Resources’ recommendation to the Idaho Legislature.
The suggestion was presented by Idaho Division of Human Resources Administrator Janelle White on Friday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise during a meeting of the Idaho Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee.
White suggested a 4% pay raise in addition to flexibility in allocating the money for hiring and retaining staff. Additionally, she suggested raising the midpoints of the pay structure for jobs like nursing and public safety, as well as raising the pay structure for IT and engineering roles by 5.5% based on the market.
According to White, the recommendation was made by the Division of Human Resources following the testimony of over 1,700 state employees.
According to White, workers in all pay ranges frequently express anxiety about current salaries not keeping up with the rising cost of living. Pay compression, where new or less experienced workers make the same or more than more seasoned workers, is what worries them. Increased workloads and burnout are being caused by turnover and open positions.
Benefits and compensation are significant for a number of reasons. Thousands of families in Idaho are directly impacted by these decisions, as the state is one of the biggest employers in the state.
According to White, state employees in many sectors earn far less than their private-sector counterparts, including those in city and county employment, which further contributes to the retention issues faced by many state agencies. The turnover rate for the previous year was 19.2%.Inflation and the sharp rise in property prices in Idaho have made matters worse.
According to White, the average base pay for state employees has only increased by 4.2% over the past ten years, while inflation has soared by more than 30%.
According to White, this has made it more difficult for workers to pay for necessities including housing, food, transportation, medical care, and other necessities. As long as Idahoans are dependent on these hardworking people, it is important to acknowledge and value their contributions to our community and make sure they can support their families.
Part-time Legislators in Idaho are expected to earn more than state employees.
Legislators in Idaho, meanwhile, will get a 25% pay raise the next year.
Legislative salary hikes are approved by an Idaho citizens committee.
As previously reported by the Idaho Capital Sun, a separate group, the Citizens group on Legislative Compensation, authorized raising the annual wage for Idaho lawmakers from $19,913 to $25,000. The Idaho Legislature is a seasonal, part-time legislature that meets for roughly 80 to 90 days year rather than being a full-time legislative body.
Republican lawmakers have vowed to oppose their wage increase.
High turnover may result from Idaho state employees receiving low compensation.
In order to replace state employees who leave their jobs to earn more money doing the same task elsewhere, White informed lawmakers that it is expensive to continuously hire and retrain new staff.
According to White, state workers earn $20,000 less annually on average than they would if they worked for a different company. An typical state employee would lose $600,000 in pay over the course of a 30-year career as a result of working for the state.
The bottom line and our capacity to provide services are significantly and permanently impacted when employees depart the state, according to White. Although turnover’s hidden costs are usually disregarded, the state bears a heavy financial burden as a result. As a general rule, replacing an employee costs a business one to three times their yearly wage.On Friday, nothing was resolved.
In the approaching 2025 legislative session, the Idaho Legislature will have the last word on state employee compensation and benefits, and the Change in Employee Compensation Committee is set to reconvene on January 7 and 9.
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