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Council member questions administration's two for one hiring policy and its impact on city services

0:25:04

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3 min

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Council Member Adrienne E. Adams questions Jacques Jiha, Director of NYC Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, about the city's two for one hiring policy. They discuss its impact on staffing levels, service provision, and plans for the future.

The two for one hiring policy remains in effect, with exemptions for certain positions including uniform personnel, inspectors, and revenue-generating roles.
The city's current full-time headcount is over 5% less than before the COVID pandemic, while budgeted headcount declined by only 1.9%.
There are no immediate plans to lift the hiring freeze, but the administration is addressing critical needs on a case-by-case basis.

Adrienne E. Adams

0:25:04

The administration's two for one hiring policy has been in effect for more than a year.

0:25:10

In that time, I have heard numerous commissioners blaming staffing levels and hiring issues for issues their agencies have with provision of critical services.

0:25:20

The city's current actual full time headcount is slightly over 286,000, which is more than 5% less than the headcount of just before the COVID pandemic.

0:25:30

In that same period, the city's budgeted full time headcount declined by only 1.9%.

0:25:37

Vacancies continue to be an issue citywide.

0:25:41

So my questions on this issue are is the two for one hiring freeze still in effect?

0:25:49

What positions are currently exempted from the hiring freeze, and are there any plans to end the hiring freeze in the near future, especially given the issues agencies have providing services?

Jacques Jiha

0:26:00

Yeah.

0:26:00

As you can imagine, the embedded in our budget is savings from the two for one.

0:26:12

And as you can imagine, we are dealing with some serious challenges ahead of us, so therefore the policy remains in place.

0:26:20

However, we have exempted a number of positions from the two for one, including uniform personnel, inspectors, and revenue generating positions.

0:26:32

Any positions dealing with public health, public safety, and revenue generation, we have exempted those positions and some critical positions for incentive cash assistance programmes, so we have exempted many of these positions.

0:26:46

We are working with agencies to assess their needs on a day to day basis, and when there is a severe problem that we believe needs to be addressed, we usually try to make an exemption for those cases.

Adrienne E. Adams

0:27:01

So as far as the revenue generating positions are concerned, you are stopping there and everything else is on an individual case basis.

0:27:10

What will be considered then a revenue generating position?

Jacques Jiha

0:27:14

Revenue generating position would be an auditor?

Adrienne E. Adams

0:27:17

No.

0:27:18

No.

0:27:18

I understand that part.

0:27:19

I I mean as far as going on a case by case basis, your determination then as far as hearing from your agencies would determine what is revenue generating?

Jacques Jiha

0:27:30

We have revenue generating positions.

0:27:33

We also have, as I said, uniform public safety, public health, and when based on our discussion with the agencies, if they have a need that is pressing, we usually tend to address those needs.

Adrienne E. Adams

0:27:45

Okay, so there are no plans to lift the hiring freeze in the near future?

0:27:51

Just gonna go on an individual case basis going forward?

Jacques Jiha

0:27:53

Not at this moment, but as you know we have made significant progress in terms of the vacancy in New York City.

0:27:59

I mean, last in June of twenty twenty three, it was at seven and a half percent.

0:28:04

Now we are down to like 5.9%, so we're making progress.

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Council Member Adams questions OMB on NYPD staffing and vacancy issues