Q&A
Efforts to fill vacancies at the Human Resources Administration (HRA)
1:12:02
·
124 sec
Deputy Commissioner Porter details DCAS's efforts to help HRA fill vacancies in critical positions. Despite these efforts, Council Member Restler notes that HRA's headcount has declined since the mayor took office.
- DCAS has worked closely with HRA for about a year to staff critical titles
- Efforts include hiring halls, adjusting exam formats, and expanding qualification requirements
- Despite these efforts, HRA's headcount has declined, and service levels are not meeting expectations
Lincoln Restler
1:12:02
So, you know, for 3 years now, the city council has been apoplectic about the situation at HRA and just how hard it has been for New Yorkers in search of cash assistance or public benefits to actually get the help they need in a timely manner.
1:12:17
And, you know, I I referenced it in my opening statement.
1:12:21
Could you just talk with us, like, how you've been working with HRA to fill vacancies And how many of the 1,158 vacant positions at HRA or civil service positions, if you know that?
1:12:33
And, like, what are we doing to fill that 1,000 plus jobs as quickly as possible?
Katrina Porter
1:12:37
Yeah.
1:12:37
That's a great question.
1:12:38
We have been working very closely with HRA for the past, I would say, year or so, and helping them staff up in some of their most critical titles.
1:12:48
Excuse me.
1:12:49
And we've done that through, of course, the hiring halls where they where HRA had great success in identifying, candidates to fill some of their most critical positions.
1:12:59
We also took a look at the examinations to be offered for those titles and, adjusted the, exam format to education and experience to provide, you know, more flexibility in helping HRA attack, attract top talent.
1:13:16
Okay.
1:13:16
And also to support their recruitment efforts, to avoid the civil service list, you know, running counteractive to their recruitment efforts.
1:13:24
So currently, we have exams open for 3 of HRA's titles, their most critical titles, to first help those candidates that they hired to obtain a permanent civil service status, but then also helping them to attract new talent to fill, their, any, additional vacancies there have.
1:13:47
Also wanna mention that, some of HRA's titles were a part of our minimum qualification review, efforts where we expanded the qualification requirements to, to attract, folks who, who may not meet the the qualifications as as is.
1:14:03
So we have been working very closely with HRA to help.
