New York City headcount refers to the total number of full-time and full-time equivalent positions authorized and filled within city agencies and covered organizations. This page covers CBC’s work on vacancy management, hiring processes, civil service reform, overtime spending, and the alignment of staffing levels with service delivery needs.
This page was created with AICBC Insights uses AI to group, analyze and present data and recommendations from CBC's publications. Always reference the cited sources to verify important details..
The City should allocate funded vacancies to where they are most needed to provide critical services.
The City should allow agencies to hire into funded positions and spend their budgets on needed programs.
The City should implement additional savings plans, focused on increasing productivity and shrinking lower impact and priority programs.
The City should include reasonable estimates of costs of all planned programs in the budget.
The City should provide accurate, but reasonably conservative revenue estimates.
Key Data
In June 2026, the CBC reported that the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget increased headcount by 869 full-time positions, with the elimination of 2,268 vacancies offset by 3,137 new positions.
At the end of fiscal year 2024, New York City's total on-board headcount was 306,248, representing a 1% increase (3,072 positions) from fiscal year 2023 after a 7% decline (23,563 positions) from fiscal year 2019 to 2023.
In fiscal year 2024, employees at the Department of Education and the Police Department comprised 62% of the City's total on-board headcount, despite experiencing headcount declines of 2% and 10% respectively since fiscal year 2019.
In September 2022, the CBC noted that the City's workforce had previously reached a pre-pandemic peak of 326,739 full-time and full-time equivalents, but subsequently declined by 21,551 from March 2020 to April 2022.
The Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget increases the city-funded headcount by 869 full-time positions, resulting from the elimination of 2,268 vacancies offset by 3,137 new positions. This net growth occurs despite efforts to streamline government operations and reduce long-standing vacancies across various agencies.
Key Data
869
— Net increase in City-funded full-time positions in fiscal year 2027.
2,268
— Positions eliminated for fiscal year 2027 through the EO12 vacancy reduction program.
3,137
— New City-funded full-time positions added in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
197
— Positions eliminated at the Department of Education through EO12 initiatives.
40
— Vacant positions eliminated at the Department of Parks and Recreation through the EO12 vacancy reduction program.
137
— Park workers, recreation staff, and urban rangers added by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
New York City's hiring and staff allocation systems are currently slow and siloed, preventing the efficient movement of vacant positions to areas where they are most needed. To address this, the administration should implement a flexible, government-wide approach to right-size headcount and accelerate the recruitment process to fill the 19,302 existing vacancies.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The new administration should shift vacant positions across agencies and units based on needs and eliminate excess vacancies.
The new administration should improve recruitment and hiring systems, and fill vacant positions much more quickly.
The City should give civil service tests and call lists more quickly to speed up hiring and encourage top applicants to seek City employment.
Key Data
19,302
— Number of full-time and "full-time equivalent" vacant positions in the City as of June 2025.
Mayoral candidates propose addressing city staffing challenges by filling vacancies to reduce reliance on overtime and improving work-life balance for the city's 300,000+ employees. These strategies are paired with broader fiscal goals, including capital investment plans totaling $111 billion and reforms to housing voucher programs costing $1.2 billion.
Recommendations related to Headcount
As Mayor I’ll staff our agencies up to budgeted headcount and reduce dependence on overtime, especially at the NYPD, whose overtime consistently exceeds its budget.
Let’s cut excessive OT through better staffing, not by gutting rights or pensions.
I plan to reduce overtime by hiring additional officers.
I will redirect overtime funds into youth jobs, housing and health, reducing fiscal waste while addressing root causes of crime.
I will work to improve the work-life fit for the city’s 300K+ employees to foster a more productive and stable workforce.
Key Data
$1.2 Billion
— Cost of the CityFHEPS housing voucher program in fiscal year 2025.
$111 Billion
— Total value of the City's five-year capital program.
300K+
— Number of city employees for whom the next mayor aims to improve work-life fit.
$38K
— Amount the city currently spends per student.
500,000
— Number of homes the next administration plans to build.
2%
— Self-imposed state spending cap achieved by former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
New York City held 19,529 vacant full-time and full-time equivalent positions as of September 2024, representing 6 percent of total budgeted positions. While the November Plan reflected $168 million in savings from these vacancies, fiscal monitors estimate potential additional savings ranging between $400 million and $1.4 billion.
Key Data
19,529
— vacant full-time and full-time equivalent positions as of September 2024.
6 percent
— of total budgeted positions that were vacant as of September 2024.
$168 million
— in savings reflected in the November Plan in fiscal year 2025 due to vacant positions.
$400 million
— as the lower end of estimated additional savings from vacant positions.
$1.4 billion
— as the upper end of estimated additional savings from vacant positions.
New York City's total workforce, including covered organizations, reached 369,765 employees by the end of fiscal year 2024. Meanwhile, the State of New York reported 219,053 full-time equivalent employees for the same period.
Key Data
369,765
— Total number of full-time and full-time equivalent employees for the City of New York and covered organizations at the end of FY 2024.
306,248
— Number of full-time and full-time equivalent employees for the City of New York alone at the end of FY 2024.
219,053
— Total full-time equivalent employees for the State of New York in FY 2024.
New York City's total on-board headcount reached 306,248 at the end of fiscal year 2024, marking a 1% increase from the previous year after a period of decline. The Department of Education and the Police Department accounted for 62% of the total city workforce in fiscal year 2024, despite experiencing headcount reductions between 2019 and 2024.
Key Data
306,248
— Total on-board headcount at the end of fiscal year 2024.
23,563 (7%)
— Decline in on-board headcount from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2023.
3,072 (1%)
— Increase in on-board headcount from fiscal year 2023 to fiscal year 2024.
33,189 (11%)
— Increase in City headcount from fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2019.
62%
— Portion of City on-board headcount comprised by Department of Education and Police Department employees in fiscal year 2024.
3,113 (2%)
— Decline in Department of Education on-board headcount between fiscal year 2019 and 2024.
The Mayor's Management Report should incorporate more granular staffing and efficiency metrics to better assess program performance, as current reporting often fails to link outcomes to specific staffing levels. For example, the decline in restaurant inspections from 99.5 percent in fiscal year 2019 to 66.4 percent in fiscal year 2024 is attributed to staffing vacancies, yet the report lacks the necessary staffing data to fully evaluate the program's efficiency.
Key Data
99.5 percent
— Share of restaurants inspected in fiscal year 2019, before the decline attributed to staffing vacancies.
83.4 percent
— Share of restaurants inspected in fiscal year 2023, reflecting the impact of staffing vacancies.
66.4 percent
— Share of restaurants inspected in fiscal year 2024, a decline attributed largely to staffing vacancies.
New York City's fiscal stability is threatened by understated spending projections and overly conservative revenue estimates, which could lead to significant budget gaps in future years. To ensure long-term stability, the city must prioritize essential programs, improve productivity, and strategically manage staffing vacancies to provide critical services.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should allocate funded vacancies to where they are most needed to provide critical services.
The City should allow agencies to hire into funded positions and spend their budgets on needed programs.
The City should implement additional savings plans, focused on increasing productivity and shrinking lower impact and priority programs.
The City should include reasonable estimates of costs of all planned programs in the budget.
The City should provide accurate, but reasonably conservative revenue estimates.
Key Data
$3.6 billion
— The amount the Fiscal Year 2025 Preliminary Budget was short of what would be needed to continue current services.
$8.0 billion
— The amount future annual budget gaps could exceed, even without implementing the State class size reduction mandate or expanding the FHEPS housing voucher program.
$17.4 billion
— The potential budget gap by fiscal year 2028 when including costs for the class size reduction mandate, FHEPS expansion, and asylum seekers.
8.1 percent
— The amount by which the Mayor’s Preliminary Fiscal Year 2025 budget, plus expenditure re-estimates, is higher than 2019 spending levels, adjusted for inflation.
$1.45 billion
— The total amount of in-year budget reserves, including the general reserve and the capital stabilization reserve.
The November 2023 Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) includes vacancy reduction and hiring freeze initiatives that eliminate 2,407 full-time positions in fiscal year 2025, with 48 percent of these positions currently filled. These measures, alongside other efficiency and program reductions, aim to address multi-billion-dollar budget gaps while attempting to minimize service impacts.
Recommendations related to Headcount
City agencies should use a data driven approach to identify less- or in-effective programs and inefficient processes that can be shrunk or streamlined to reduce costs.
Agency leadership should collaborate with line staff to determine how programs and services can be delivered more efficiently.
Efforts to identify efficiencies should be continued and strengthened to improve fiscal outcomes.
Returning to standardized procurement practices wherever possible should increase competition and drive down the cost of providing services.
Savings on benefits are possible over the long term and should be a component of efforts to stabilize City finances.
Key Data
2,407
— Number of full-time positions eliminated in fiscal year 2025 through vacancy reduction and hiring freeze initiatives.
48 percent
— Share of the vacancy and hiring freeze positions that are currently filled, according to an analysis of on-board headcount as of October 31, 2023.
2,873
— Total number of positions eliminated across 24 agencies in fiscal year 2025.
600
— Number of recruits in each of the five cancelled Police Academy classes.
New York City faces a significant fiscal cliff with projected budget gaps reaching up to $13.8 billion, driven by years of expanded programs and increased spending that outpaced recurring revenue. To stabilize the budget, the city must prioritize impactful programs, improve operational efficiency, and manage headcount strategically to ensure core services remain sustainable.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The mayor’s office should take a hard look at staffing and performance to make nuanced decisions that ensure city government functions well.
City leaders should manage city headcount smartly by identifying operations that can be managed well with leaner teams.
The city should prioritize staffing needs by identifying areas that require more staff to get the job done while maintaining leaner teams elsewhere.
4.67 million is the total number of jobs in New York City, just shy of employment pre-pandemic. Though the economy is stable and employment generally strong, challenges remain. The economy is undergoing longer term transformation including remote work, which will affect our labor market and commercial real estate, and the…
New York City currently faces over 26,000 vacant positions, a staffing issue driven by management challenges, bureaucratic processes, and a tight labor market rather than budgetary constraints. To address these vacancies and improve service delivery, the City must modernize civil service regulations, increase workplace flexibility, and improve its ability to compete for talent.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should flexibly allocate vacant positions where they are needed.
The City should speed up review and approval processes to hire staff more expeditiously.
The City should increase flexibility of work rules, job titles, and schedules to address staffing challenges.
The City should modernize and better manage civil service regulations to improve hiring.
The City should identify other ways to better compete with the private sector for talent to fill vacant positions.
Key Data
26,602
— Total number of vacant positions across City agencies.
21,227
— Number of full-time (FT) vacant positions.
5,375
— Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) vacant positions.
New York State Budget Fiscal Year 2024 Major Actions and Fiscal Risks As of First Quarter Update New York City Fiscal Year 2024 Adopted Budget and Outlook
New York City continues to maintain nearly 23,000 vacant full-time positions while simultaneously adding over 1,270 new full-time roles in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Rather than creating new positions, the city should prioritize shifting existing vacancies to critical areas and reforming its hiring processes to improve operational efficiency.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should stop adding new positions because it already has sufficient vacancies to meet its needs.
The City should shift vacancies to the areas where they are most needed rather than creating new roles.
The City should take steps to aggressively reform how it hires, particularly for critical functions.
Key Data
23,000
— Number of full-time positions that remain vacant as of January 2023.
1,274
— Number of new full-time positions added in the fiscal year 2024 executive budget.
7,500
— Number of additional full-time equivalent positions that are vacant.
The New York City Police Department's fiscal year 2024 budget includes a hiring delay that reduces the on-board uniformed headcount to 34,000, while authorized levels are set to reach 35,001 by 2027. This reduction, alongside other budget adjustments, aims to manage costs, though the budget remains understated due to unreflected collective bargaining agreements and unrealistic overtime projections.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Budgeted overtime should reflect reasonable expectations given management, policy, and history.
The City should include ratified collective bargaining agreements in the agency budget rather than keeping them in the central labor reserve.
The City should avoid relying on illusory savings, such as PEG savings that simply offset simultaneous additions in spending.
Key Data
34,000
— The number of uniformed employees expected to be on-board in fiscal year 2024 due to the hiring delay.
35,001
— The authorized level of uniformed headcount to be reached by fiscal year 2027.
34,101
— The number of uniformed employees on-board as of January 2023.
1,247
— The number of positions by which the authorized headcount was reduced in fiscal year 2021.
$39 million
— The amount saved by delaying the hiring of uniformed personnel in fiscal years 2024 to 2026.
29
— The number of uniformed positions eliminated in the fiscal year 2024 budget.
The City's budget adds new positions despite already having 23,000 vacancies, a practice that undermines fiscal stability. Instead of expanding the workforce, the City should prioritize shifting existing vacancies to areas of greatest need.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should be shifting existing vacancies to where they are needed, rather than adding new positions.
The City should speed up critical hiring to address operational needs.
Key Data
23,000
— Number of existing vacancies in the City's workforce.
The Department of Buildings has seen its on-board headcount grow by 45 percent since fiscal year 2014, yet it continues to struggle with an 18 percent vacancy rate for authorized full-time positions. Despite recent efforts to reduce vacancies, the agency must prioritize hiring to ensure it can meet its responsibilities, particularly with the upcoming compliance requirements of Local Law 97.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Department of Buildings should prioritize improving hiring to address vacancy rates, especially as the first year of compliance with Local Law 97 nears.
The City should ensure that vacancy reductions do not constrain hiring at the Department of Buildings, given that the agency still has a significant number of vacant full-time positions.
Key Data
45 percent
— Growth in on-board total headcount at the Department of Buildings from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2022.
1,560
— On-board total headcount at the Department of Buildings at the end of January 2023.
18 percent
— Vacancy rate of authorized full-time positions at the Department of Buildings.
334
— Number of vacant full-time positions remaining at the Department of Buildings.
1,884
— Authorized full-time headcount for the Department of Buildings in the Fiscal Year 2024 Preliminary Budget.
442
— Number of authorized full-time positions that were unfilled at the Department of Buildings as of November 30, 2022.
New York City's government staffing levels dropped from 327,000 to 300,000 employees due to pandemic-era attrition and slow hiring, leaving 23,000 full-time positions vacant. These staffing shortages have negatively impacted service delivery, including delays in housing vouchers, public assistance, and inspections, necessitating reforms to the city's bureaucratic hiring process.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city must implement radical reforms to its slow, bureaucratic hiring process to address ongoing staffing shortages.
The city should focus on reorganizing operations and streamlining bureaucracy to manage staffing needs more effectively rather than just reducing centralized service costs.
The city should pursue additional savings across government through overtime caps and ambulance staffing changes to improve productivity and manage labor resources.
Key Data
327,000 to 300,000
— The number of city employees on board decreased from this range due to pandemic-era attrition and slow hiring.
11,386
— The number of vacant positions eliminated by the administration's savings plans.
23,000
— The number of vacant full-time city positions that remain possible to fill.
12%
— The rate at which private-sector productivity rose over the past decade, highlighting the potential for government productivity improvements.
$100 million
— The amount that could be saved annually by increasing sanitation productivity.
New York City faces significant budget gaps that require strategic management of its workforce, including addressing 28,000 vacancies while maintaining essential services. By restructuring operations and eliminating unneeded vacant positions, the city can achieve necessary savings without compromising critical service delivery.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city must better manage vacancies and hiring to ensure critical areas are staffed while restraining overall spending.
The city should eliminate many thousands of unneeded vacant positions to help restructure government and meet savings targets.
The city should hire strategically in critical areas to address staff shortages while simultaneously restructuring operations.
Key Data
304,000
— Number of full-time and full-time-equivalent employees currently on board with the city.
28,000
— Number of vacant city positions that exist, allowing for strategic hiring.
New York City faces significant staffing challenges, with over 28,500 vacant positions despite an authorized headcount of 333,129 for fiscal year 2023. To address these issues, the city must streamline its hiring processes, improve employee retention, and increase flexibility in reallocating vacant positions to priority areas.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should move available positions to where they are needed and increase the flexibility of processes used to control, allocate, and reallocate headcount.
The City should improve and speed up the processes and procedures it uses to control and manage hiring and to administer the civil service system.
The City should institute policies to increase retention of high-performing employees.
The City should modernize civil service and job paths to increase the attractiveness of public sector employment.
The City should report transparently on vacancies, hires, separations, and promotions.
The City should provide training, upskilling, and advancement opportunities to acknowledge and retain high performers.
DCAS should leverage technology and other process reforms to speed up the civil service testing process.
Key Data
333,129
— Authorized headcount for fiscal year 2023.
304,461
— Full-time and full-time equivalent staff on board as of April 2022.
28,500
— Vacant positions as of April 2022.
23,793
— Full-time vacant positions as of April 2022.
246
— Median days between exam administration and results in the first four months of fiscal year 2022.
21,551
— Decline in on-board full-time and full-time equivalents from March 2020 to April 2022.
The Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget maintains a constant uniform headcount of 35,030 for the NYPD throughout the plan years. Civilian headcount is set to increase by 18 positions by fiscal year 2024 compared to the February 2022 Financial Plan.
Key Data
35,030
— Uniform headcount is constant throughout the plan years at 35,030, the same level as February 2022.
18
— Civilian headcount increases by 18 positions by fiscal year 2024, compared to the February 2022 Financial Plan.
51,870
— Total authorized headcount for the New York Police Department in fiscal year 2022.
51,945
— Total authorized headcount for the New York Police Department in fiscal year 2023.
52,070
— Total authorized headcount for the New York Police Department in fiscal years 2024 through 2026.
The New York City fiscal year 2023 executive budget added 3,011 new positions, effectively reversing 69 percent of the vacancy reductions previously planned. Instead of increasing headcount, the city should focus on redistributing existing vacancies and removing bureaucratic obstacles to hiring.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should redistribute available vacancies across departments, within agencies, or across agencies rather than adding new positions.
The City must reduce managerial and procedural roadblocks to hiring to ensure agencies can successfully fill priority vacancies.
Key Data
18,000
— Number of vacant city jobs available.
3,011
— Number of positions added in the fiscal year 2023 Executive Budget.
69%
— Percentage of February Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) reductions reversed by the new budget additions.
0.65%
— Decrease in total authorized City headcount from November 2021 to April 2022.
New York City faces a potential $9 billion fiscal disaster by 2026 due to budget gaps, fiscal cliffs, and the cost of employee raises, which could reach $4.3 billion annually by the third year. To avoid service cuts or tax increases, the city must prioritize efficiency, increase productivity in labor contracts, and resist using one-time federal aid for ongoing expenses.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city should use this next round of collective bargaining contracts to further increase productivity, which would generate savings to fund raises and stabilize the budget.
The city should reduce costs without reducing services by streamlining processes, leveraging technology and fostering cross-agency collaboration that eliminates redundancy.
The city must lower costs, ideally by improving efficiency or by reducing lower impact programs.
Key Data
$4 billion
— Estimated cost or more in employee raises contributing to a potential $9 billion fiscal disaster by 2026.
$1.5 billion
— Cost of 3% annual raises for city employees in the first year.
$4.3 billion
— Cost of 3% annual raises for city employees in the third year.
The City's Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) has relied heavily on re-estimates and vacancy reductions rather than efficiency improvements, with vacancy reductions accounting for 24.1 percent of savings. While these reductions help rightsize the budget, the City must shift toward implementing management reforms that streamline operations and reduce unit costs to ensure long-term fiscal stability.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should continue to bring authorized headcount to more fiscally manageable levels while ensuring enough vacancies remain to staff priority functions.
Agencies should identify management reforms that reduce unit costs, streamline operations, and leverage technology.
The Mayor should include a productivity PEG equal to 3 percent of City-funded agency spending in the Executive Budget to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
Key Data
7,026
— Full-time positions eliminated across 42 agencies through the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG).
22,376
— Vacant full-time positions in December 2021.
306,291
— Authorized level of full-time staff after the PEG.
18,685
— Number of positions the City could hire above the December 2021 on-board headcount.
3,568
— Net reduction in City authorized headcount in fiscal year 2022.
4,746
— Net reduction in City authorized headcount in fiscal year 2023.
New York City has over 18,000 vacant full-time positions, with most agencies maintaining vacancy rates above 5 percent, indicating that staffing challenges stem from rigid management and slow hiring processes rather than a lack of available positions. To address these issues, the city must increase flexibility in allocating headcount and streamline recruitment and civil service testing systems.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should increase the flexibility of its systems that control, allocate, and reallocate headcount.
The City should improve the systems it uses to control and manage hiring and to administer the civil service system.
The City should provide greater flexibility to move headcount across agencies, within agencies across units or to allocate vacancies agency-wide.
The City should improve recruitment and hiring systems and processes to reduce the time to fill positions.
The City should leverage technology and other process reforms to speed up the process of administering tests and certifying civil service lists.
Key Data
7,026
— Number of vacant full-time positions eliminated across 42 agencies by the Fiscal Year 2023 Preliminary Budget Program to Eliminate the Gap.
$290 million
— Annual savings generated by the elimination of 7,026 vacant full-time positions.
18,000
— Number of vacant full-time positions available for the City to hire, even after the budget reduction.
306,291
— Authorized full-time headcount levels for fiscal year 2022.
7.3 percent
— The vacancy rate resulting from 22,376 positions that could be filled in the current fiscal year.
246 days
— The median time between exam administration and results in the first four months of fiscal year 2022.
The New York City Police Department's authorized uniformed headcount is projected to remain flat at 35,030, while the number of authorized civilian positions is set to increase to 17,022 in fiscal year 2023. Additionally, the planned transfer of 5,290 School Safety Division personnel to the Department of Education was reversed, keeping those positions within the police department.
Key Data
35,030
— Authorized uniformed headcount for the NYPD, which is expected to remain flat.
17,022
— Authorized civilian positions in fiscal year 2023.
5,290
— Civilian personnel in the School Safety Division whose planned transfer to the Department of Education was canceled.
15,371
— Civilian full-time and full-time equivalents on board at the NYPD as of December 2021.
1,539
— Vacant civilian positions at the NYPD as of December 2021.
560
— Vacant school safety positions eliminated as part of the Department of Education's Program to Eliminate the Gap.
The NYPD's authorized uniformed headcount is set to remain at 35,030 throughout the financial plan following a reduction of 1,171 positions in fiscal year 2021. Additionally, the reversal of the planned transfer of School Safety to the Department of Education leaves 5,290 personnel within the police department.
Key Data
210
— Number of vacant civilian positions eliminated to generate recurring savings.
1,171
— Number of positions reduced in fiscal year 2021.
35,030
— Authorized uniformed headcount maintained throughout the financial plan.
5,290
— Number of School Safety personnel remaining within the NYPD following the reversal of the planned transfer to the Department of Education.
New York City's preliminary fiscal year 2023 budget eliminated over 7,000 vacant positions, yet the city still retained more than 18,500 vacant full-time positions out of the nearly 26,000 vacancies active at the end of 2021. While these vacancy reductions contributed to 24% of the five-year savings plan, further structural reforms are needed to address looming city and federal fiscal cliffs and to build adequate budget reserves.
Key Data
7,000
— Vacant full-time positions eliminated in the Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
26,000
— Vacant full-time positions in New York City as of December 31, 2021.
18,500
— Vacant full-time positions remaining for the City to hire necessary personnel after accounting for headcount adjustments.
24%
— Portion of the five-year Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) savings that came from vacancy reductions that did not increase efficiency.
New York City's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2023 includes a program to reduce spending by eliminating 3,200 vacant positions in fiscal year 2022 and 7,000 positions in fiscal year 2023 and beyond. While these reductions are a positive step, the city must identify further efficiency savings and work with municipal unions to rationalize benefit levels to ensure long-term fiscal stability.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Administration should identify additional agency and central function efficiency savings to include in the Executive Budget.
The Administration should work with its municipal unions to identify and implement efficiency savings and rationalize benefit levels and administration during collective bargaining negotiations.
Key Data
3,200
— Number of vacant positions removed from the fiscal year 2022 authorized headcount.
7,000
— Number of vacant positions eliminated in fiscal year 2023 and beyond.
3%
— Savings target directed at most City agencies in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
The City's financial plan relies on illusionary attrition savings and lacks funding for upcoming labor raises, necessitating a proactive approach to workforce restructuring. Incoming leadership should collaborate with municipal unions to enhance productivity and align employment practices with long-term fiscal sustainability.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Mayor-elect Adams should proactively take steps to restructure the City’s budget and workforce to be fiscally sustainable with recurring City revenues.
Mayor-elect Adams should work with municipal unions to leverage collective bargaining agreements to make changes allowing the City to be more productive and help City employment be more supportive to skill building and career enhancement.
New York City's workforce grew by nearly 30,000 employees between fiscal year 2014 and September 2019, reaching a peak of 327,110. To ensure fiscal sustainability, the incoming administration should implement a regular Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) and utilize attrition to reduce the workforce while ensuring new hires are only made when there is a proven need.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The incoming Administration should deploy two strategies that the Mayor-elect embraced during the campaign: a regular, periodic Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) that identifies and implements recurring savings and continued, modest workforce reduction through attrition.
The associated attrition effort should ensure employees are hired only when there is a proven need for a function and the unit into which the staff is hired already operates efficiently.
Furthermore, vacant positions should be reduced and redistributed across functions and agencies to provide the capacity needed to hire for high-quality, effective, high-priority services.
Key Data
30,000
— The increase in the City's workforce from fiscal year 2014 to its peak in September 2019.
10 percent
— The percentage increase in the City's workforce from fiscal year 2014 to its peak in September 2019.
327,110
— The peak number of City employees reached in September 2019.
At this time last year, New York State estimated that tax receipts would fall short of pre-pandemic estimates by $15 billion annually on average, totaling $60 billion over four years. Receipts, however, have been much stronger than expected. By April 2021, the State reduced its four-year tax receipt shortfall estimate by 80 percent, to $11.8 billion. Over the four-year period, the State also will receive at least $21.1 billion of targeted and general federal fiscal…
The New York City budget includes a planned transfer of 5,300 civilian personnel from the NYPD to the Department of Education by fiscal year 2023. This shift in staffing is part of broader budgetary adjustments involving the movement of various units and functions out of the police department.
Key Data
5,300
— Number of civilian personnel the City anticipates shifting from the NYPD to the Department of Education in fiscal year 2023.
The Fiscal Year 2022 Adopted Budget temporarily reversed hiring freezes, increasing authorized headcount to 337,294, while deferring necessary staff reductions to the next administration. This reversal leaves the city with significant hiring capacity despite previous plans to reduce on-board staff by nearly 4,000 positions annually between fiscal years 2023 and 2025.
Key Data
337,294
— Authorized headcount for fiscal year 2022, which is nearly the highest ever.
313,875
— City's on-board headcount as of March 2021.
$283 million
— Average annual attrition savings for fiscal years 2023 to 2025.
5,342
— Increase in fiscal year 2022 authorized headcount against the April Executive Budget.
23,419
— Capacity to hire full-time and full-time equivalent positions based on the March 2021 on-board headcount.
3,987
— Number of positions associated with the average annual attrition savings for fiscal years 2023 to 2025.
The cancellation of the July 2020 Police Academy class was intended to reduce the uniformed headcount by 1,163 positions to 35,007. While the fiscal year 2021 forecast projected a total headcount of 51,955, actual staffing levels have fluctuated as the city manages budget constraints and police department operations.
Key Data
1,163
— positions reduced by cancelling the July 2020 Police Academy class.
35,007
— target uniformed headcount following the cancellation of the July 2020 Academy class.
51,955
— total headcount forecast for fiscal year 2021.
53,416
— actual year-end headcount for fiscal year 2020.
51,335
— actual headcount as of March 2021.
16,948
— civilian headcount forecast for fiscal year 2021.
New York City's municipal workforce, which reached a peak of 326,739 in fiscal year 2019 before declining during the pandemic, is slated to grow again under the fiscal year 2022 budget despite looming annual budget gaps of nearly $5 billion. Given these financial constraints, the city should prioritize strategic hiring and operational restructuring over increasing the overall size of the workforce.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should not increase the size of its workforce.
Federal aid and current vacancies are an opportunity to hire strategically to reallocate City workers to where they are necessary.
The City should restructure operations to prioritize efficient service delivery that benefits all New Yorkers.
The City should continue to reduce actual headcount, albeit more slowly, rather than reversing course to increase both actual and authorized headcount.
Key Data
326,739
— Peak number of municipal workers on-board in fiscal year 2019.
312,250
— Low point of the municipal workforce in February 2021.
6,850
— Number of additional positions the City proposes to fill in the Fiscal Year 2022 Executive Budget.
$5 billion
— Annual budget gaps projected for fiscal years 2023 to 2025.
13,364
— Number of positions by which the workforce shrank between April 2020 and February 2021.
13,926
— Number of vacant authorized full-time and full-time equivalent positions as of February 2021.
The next New York City Comptroller will play a critical role not only in holding the next Administration and agencies accountable, investing and managing five pension funds with $248 billion in assets, and partnering in $13 billion City debt issuance, but also in spotlighting and promoting New York City’s fiscal…
New York City's executive budget for fiscal year 2022 plans to add 5,000 staff members, reversing recent efforts to reduce the size of the municipal workforce. This expansion occurs despite the availability of significant federal aid that could have been used to restructure spending and improve operational efficiency instead of increasing headcount.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should avoid reversing its recent progress in shrinking the workforce by adding 5,000 more staff.
The City should implement a regular, reasonably sized Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) to prioritize programs, improve quality, and identify savings rather than relying on workforce expansion.
The City should have spread federal money more evenly over a few years to restructure spending to increase efficiency and preserve services instead of adding staff.
Key Data
5,000
— Number of additional staff the City plans to add, reversing recent progress in shrinking the workforce.
New York City's workforce reached a peak of 327,110 employees in September 2019, but has since decreased to 312,250 positions as of February 2021. To ensure long-term fiscal stability, the city should target a workforce size of 310,000 and reduce the number of unfilled vacancies in the budget.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should target a workforce size of 310,000 in the near term, which is in line with February 2016 levels.
The City should loosen the hiring freeze and permit replacing two of every three vacancies, while expanding criteria for new hires to include those that facilitate efficiency, reorganization, and quality of priority services.
The City should remove half of the current vacancies—about 6,500 of the roughly 13,000 vacancies—in each year of the financial plan and allocate those remaining as required to efficiently staff priorities.
The City should not implement an Early Retirement Incentive (ERI), as reducing headcount to the target can be accomplished through attrition and a partial hiring freeze without the additional cost.
The City should be intentional about what positions it fills, focusing on shifting the workforce composition to ensure efficient provision of quality services rather than refilling positions when they become vacant.
Key Data
327,110
— Full-time and full-time equivalent employees in the City's workforce as of September 2019.
312,250
— Actual headcount of City positions as of February 2021.
14,860
— Decrease in the number of City positions from the September 2019 peak to February 2021.
4.5 percent
— Percentage decrease in City headcount from the peak to February 2021.
310,000
— Reasonable target workforce size for the City in the near term.
6,500
— Number of vacancies the City should remove from the budget each year, representing half of the roughly 13,000 vacancies at the end of February 2021.
New York City should reject early retirement incentives for civilian employees, as they are costly and often benefit individuals who would have retired regardless. Instead, the city can effectively manage its workforce size by selectively refilling vacancies and strategically hiring to meet service needs, aiming for a target of 310,000 employees.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city should flatly reject the opportunity to offer early retirement incentives to civilian employees.
The city should shrink its workforce by selectively refilling vacancies created by departed employees rather than paying for early retirement.
The city should strategically hire to meet service needs and phase in organizational changes to reach a target workforce size of around 310,000 over the next two years.
The city should avoid a rehiring spree and instead use its fiscal glide path to maintain a stable workforce.
Key Data
$110,000
— Average cost to the city for every person who takes the early retirement incentive.
312,250
— The city's workforce size in February 2021 following a partial hiring freeze.
310,000
— The reasonable target workforce size the city should aim for over the next two years.
$250 million
— The cost the city would incur for an early retirement incentive program to achieve a 2,250 position reduction.
327,110
— The city's workforce size at the end of September 2019.
14,860
— The number of positions the workforce was reduced by due to the city's partial hiring freeze.
Managing the City’s fiscal crisis well will be a critically important duty of the next Mayor and a primary determinant of how the city survives the current crisis, and ultimately thrives in the future. Managing NYC’s Fiscal Crisis: A CBC Mayoral Candidate Forum featured a 10-minute conversation with each candidate,…
Early retirement incentives are often proposed as a way to reduce government workforce size during fiscal crises, but they frequently prove more expensive than standard attrition or layoffs due to pension costs and payouts. Analysis of a proposed New York City program suggests that achieving savings requires keeping vacated positions unfilled, as the incentive costs can consume a significant portion of potential salary savings.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should reduce its workforce through attrition and not pursue the early retirement incentive.
Localities considering an early retirement incentive must commit to a strict hiring freeze to ensure the program does not cost more than expected.
Maximizing savings from workforce reductions requires keeping the newly vacated positions unfilled.
Localities should perform a thorough analysis of the costs and benefits before implementing early retirement incentives.
Key Data
$1.1 billion
— The estimated incentive cost for 10,000 separations under the proposed early retirement incentive.
$5.9 billion
— The potential five-year salary savings if positions vacated by early retirement are kept vacant.
$4.3 billion
— The projected savings over five years under similar rates of voluntary separations, which is 32 percent higher than the early retirement incentive.
32 percent
— The portion of the early retirement incentive cost likely to be an unneeded expense, flowing to employees who would have retired anyway.
7 percent
— The annual separation rate for the municipal workforce exceeding 300,000 full-time employees.
New York State's fiscal year 2022 budget addresses significant gaps through a mix of federal aid, tax increases, and spending reductions, including a continued hiring and salary freeze for the state workforce. Alternative strategies, such as shifting capital financing to debt and reducing economic development spending, could provide sufficient resources to avoid proposed tax hikes and maintain essential services.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The State should reduce its planned capital disbursements by 10 percent and finance up to 50 percent of the remaining paygo capital spending with debt to save $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2022.
The State should implement a 50 percent reduction in proposed economic development capital spending plus finance 50 percent of the remaining paygo spending with debt to yield another $713 million in fiscal year 2022.
The State should smooth the year-to-year fluctuations in school aid to avoid a sudden drop-off in funding.
The State should focus its capital investments on the most critical projects during this period to avoid adding to already high outstanding debt levels.
The State should prioritize directing aid to high need districts and reducing aid to wealthier districts.
Key Data
$1.6 billion
— Savings in fiscal year 2022 from reducing planned capital disbursements by 10 percent and financing up to 50 percent of the remaining paygo capital spending with debt.
$713 million
— Additional yield in fiscal year 2022 from a 50 percent reduction in proposed economic development capital spending plus financing 50 percent of the remaining paygo spending with debt.
$591 million
— Increased fiscal year 2023 cost due to the projected repayment of withheld salaries from the workforce headcount and salary freeze.
$1.5 billion
— Estimated tax revenue generated in fiscal year 2022 by the proposed personal income tax high-income surcharge.
The New York City Housing Authority plans a 4 percent increase in budgeted headcount for 2021, aiming to improve building conditions and reduce the need for scheduled overtime. Despite this planned expansion in staff, labor costs are projected to decrease by 1 percent as the agency attempts to manage its financial outlook amidst pandemic-related challenges.
Key Data
4 percent
— Planned increase in budgeted headcount for 2021.
1 percent
— Expected decrease in labor costs despite the planned increase in budgeted headcount.
Reducing the municipal workforce through early retirement incentives is less cost-effective than relying on natural attrition, as incentives often pay employees who would have retired anyway. Relying on attrition rather than early retirement programs could yield significantly higher net savings for the city over a five-year period.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should reduce its workforce through attrition and not pursue the early retirement incentive.
Key Data
$110,000
— Estimated cost per participant for the early retirement incentive over five years.
19 percent
— Portion of the City’s savings from not having to pay the separated employee’s salary and benefits that would be offset by the early retirement incentive cost.
$3.3 billion
— Estimated net savings over five years if 10,000 employees take the early retirement incentive and one-third of vacancies are filled.
$4.3 billion
— Estimated net savings over five years if 10,000 employees leave through voluntary attrition and one-third of vacancies are filled.
32 percent
— Amount by which per-person savings through attrition would be greater than savings through an early retirement incentive.
The preliminary budget for fiscal year 2022 fails to implement necessary structural changes to stabilize long-term finances, relying instead on small program reductions. To address future budget gaps, the city must pursue more aggressive efficiency measures, including making permanent headcount reductions.
Recommendations related to Headcount
A stronger partial hiring freeze is a good step; headcount reductions are needed and should be made permanent.
The City's financial plan fails to reduce the municipal workforce year-over-year, relying instead on non-recurring debt service savings. To address the fiscal crisis, the City should utilize attrition and hiring freezes to lower the total headcount over the four-year financial plan.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should utilize attrition and the hiring freeze to reduce the City’s headcount over the full term of the four-year financial plan.
Key Data
$1 billion
— Annual labor savings in fiscal years 2022 to 2024 that the administration has made no progress achieving.
$3.8 billion
— The fiscal year 2022 budget gap that the City needs to close in the Preliminary Budget.
0.35 percent
— The portion of City-funded spending represented by fiscal year 2023 savings.
60 percent
— The portion of annual savings that do not recur.
New York City's fiscal year 2020 ended with 324,036 full-time and full-time equivalent employees, a decrease of 2,700 from the previous year, yet still 26,500 higher than in 2014. Despite a partial hiring freeze intended to reduce the workforce, the current budget paradoxically projects an increase of 4,000 positions between fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should ensure that unfilled positions are removed from the financial plan to reflect the workforce reduction resulting from the partial hiring freeze.
The City should re-evaluate the Adopted Budget projection that headcount would grow by about 4,000 positions between fiscal years 2021 and 2022, given the current fiscal climate.
Key Data
324,036
— Year-end fiscal year 2020 headcount of full-time and full-time equivalent employees.
2,700
— Number of fewer employees at the end of fiscal year 2020 compared to the end of fiscal year 2019.
26,500
— Number of more employees at the end of fiscal year 2020 compared to the end of fiscal year 2014.
4,000
— Number of positions the Adopted Budget projected headcount would grow by between fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
The pandemic significantly impacted New York City's public services, leading to reduced inspection volumes, slower repair times, and shifts in service demand, while also causing a substantial decline in the average daily jail population. Despite these changes, the city continues to lack adequate reporting on the effectiveness and efficiency of its services, highlighting the need for more robust performance metrics.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Fire Department should orient the structure of the department and its allocation of resources away from firefighting toward medical response.
The City needs to implement robust performance metrics to foster a better understanding of City services.
The City should prioritize the collection of high-quality data on key quality of life indicators by increasing the use of resident feedback surveys.
Key Data
26 percent
— The average number of individuals in custody dropped by this amount, from 7,938 in fiscal year 2019 to 5,841 in fiscal year 2020.
57 percent
— The increase in the number of DOC uniformed staff per inmate from 1.0 in fiscal year 2016 to 1.6 in fiscal year 2020.
9.5 percent
— The sick leave rate among uniformed DSNY employees in fiscal year 2020, compared to 6.7 percent in fiscal year 2019.
New York City's fiscal year 2021 budget includes a projected increase of 1,104 in the city-funded workforce, despite overall agency spending declines. These workforce changes include specific headcount reductions of 1,252 positions at the NYPD and 1,975 positions at the Department of Correction due to jail facility closures.
Key Data
1,104
— The City-funded workforce is expected to increase by 1,104 in fiscal year 2021.
1,252
— Headcount reductions include 1,252 full-time and full-time equivalent positions at the NYPD.
1,975
— Headcount reductions include 1,975 positions at the Department of Correction due to closure of jail facilities.
New York City faces a fiscal crisis where the administration threatens to lay off 22,000 workers, despite currently employing 14,000 more people than it did before the last recession. Rather than borrowing, the city should implement a stricter hiring freeze to reduce the workforce by 7,000 employees annually and identify the $1 billion in labor savings already committed to in the budget.
Recommendations related to Headcount
A stricter hiring freeze could reduce the workforce by 7,000 employees a year, while still allowing the city to fill two-thirds of its vacancies.
Commissioners should comb their agencies to increase efficiency of city services, or reduce spending on lower priorities.
The city should implement the savings included in this year’s budget and additional savings of an equal or greater amount in the future.
Key Data
22,000
— Number of city workers threatened with potential layoffs if the city does not borrow funds.
7,000
— Number of employees the city could reduce from its workforce annually through a stricter hiring freeze.
14,000
— Number of additional workers the city currently employs compared to the highest point before the last recession.
$1 billion
— Amount of labor savings committed to in the budget that have not yet been identified.
New York City faces a fiscal crisis requiring $1 billion in labor savings, which can be achieved by managing headcount through attrition and targeted staffing reforms rather than widespread layoffs. By filling fewer vacancies and adjusting staffing models for fire and ambulance services, the city can reduce its workforce and associated costs without resorting to mass terminations.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should prioritize reducing headcount through attrition rather than layoffs, as it did following the Great Recession.
City leaders should fill fewer vacancies, as hiring to fill only a portion of the approximately 23,000 annual departures would reduce the workforce by 23,000 within three years.
The City should make four firefighters the standard staffing for engine companies to optimize personnel levels.
The City should shift at least half of the ALS ambulances to a one paramedic, one EMT staffing model to improve efficiency.
The City should implement a forty-hour work week for all employees, which would facilitate shrinking the workforce and associated savings.
The City should provide an early retirement incentive to encourage employees eligible to retire to do so, thereby reducing the workforce.
Key Data
23,000
— Approximately 23,000 employees leave the municipal workforce annually, representing an average separation rate of 7.1 percent per year.
14,000
— Following the Great Recession, the municipal workforce shrank by more than 14,000 full-time and full-time equivalent positions over two years.
447
— The municipal workforce decreased by 447 positions, or just 0.1 percent, between April 2019 (325,614) and April 2020 (326,061).
6.9 percent
— In fiscal year 2010, the municipal workforce separation rate was 6.9 percent, while the hiring rate was 4.2 percent.
7.0 percent
— In fiscal year 2011, the municipal workforce separation rate was 7.0 percent, while the hiring rate was 4.9 percent.
New York City faces a fiscal crisis requiring $1 billion in labor savings, which can be achieved by managing headcount through attrition and targeted reforms rather than widespread layoffs. By filling only half of the 20,000 annual vacancies, the city could reduce its workforce by over 10,000 positions annually, helping to balance the budget without resorting to mass terminations.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should reduce headcount and planned spending through attrition rather than layoffs, as it did following the Great Recession.
Hiring to fill only half of the 20,000 annual vacancies would reduce the municipal workforce by more than 10,000 positions annually.
The City should standardize staffing for fire engine companies by making four firefighters the standard crew size.
The City should shift at least half of the advanced life support ambulances to a one paramedic, one EMT staffing model to increase efficiency.
The City should eliminate the Absent Teacher Reserve as a permanent, paid assignment for teachers whose positions have been eliminated.
Key Data
20,000
— Number of employees who leave City service each year.
10,000
— Number of positions the workforce could be reduced by annually if the City fills only half of its vacancies.
325,614
— Number of municipal employees in April 2020.
326,061
— Number of municipal employees in April 2019.
23,000
— Number of employees who leave the municipal workforce annually.
14,000
— Number of full-time and full-time equivalent positions the workforce shrank by over two years following the Great Recession.
Watch the original segment here . Budget watchdogs say labor and City Hall should target health care costs first. "The city pays the full premium for employees, retirees and their families. It's a deal that no other New Yorker in the private sector has," said Maria Doulis, vice-president at the…
The fiscal year 2021 NYPD budget includes a reduction of 1,404 positions, comprising 1,171 uniformed and 233 civilian roles, achieved through hiring freezes and the cancellation of the July Police Academy class. Despite these cuts, the projected uniformed headcount of 35,030 in fiscal year 2024 remains higher than the 2014 level, while the civilian workforce is expected to grow to 17,446.
Recommendations related to Headcount
To achieve the steep reduction currently budgeted, overtime reforms would need to be far-reaching and potentially negotiated with labor unions.
Key Data
1,404
— Total reduction in the NYPD workforce in fiscal year 2021.
1,171
— Number of uniformed positions reduced in fiscal year 2021.
233
— Number of civilian positions reduced in fiscal year 2021.
35,030
— Projected uniformed headcount through fiscal year 2024.
34,440
— Uniformed headcount in fiscal year 2014.
17,446
— Projected civilian headcount in fiscal year 2024.
The City faces a potential layoff of 22,000 workers if it cannot secure $1 billion in labor savings, but it could instead utilize attrition, as 6 to 7 percent of the workforce leaves annually. By filling only a portion of these vacant positions through a hiring freeze, the City could achieve substantial savings while avoiding mass layoffs.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should undertake a thorough review of agency programs and operations to identify recurring savings, reduce the City’s workforce through attrition, and implement recurring labor savings.
The City should broaden the existing partial hiring freeze by filling only a portion of the positions vacated by the 6 percent to 7 percent of employees who leave each year.
The City and labor unions should identify savings by agreeing to change collectively bargained benefits, including vacation days, sick leave, work hours, and contractually agreed upon raises and steps.
Key Data
22,000
— Number of municipal workers the City threatened to lay off if $1 billion in labor savings is not achieved.
6 percent to 7 percent
— Percentage of City employees who leave City employment each year.
20,000
— Number of individuals who leave City employment each year.
$1 billion
— Target for recurring labor savings to be negotiated with municipal labor unions.
The fiscal year 2021 budget relies on achieving $1 billion in labor savings, with the Mayor warning that failure to meet this target could lead to the layoff of 22,000 city employees. Additionally, the budget assumes successful implementation of agency savings programs, including a $350 million reduction in police overtime.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should utilize strategies such as attrition, increased productivity, and negotiated fringe benefit changes to achieve necessary budget savings without resorting to layoffs.
City leaders must focus on negotiating and managing the changes necessary to achieve the assumed savings to avoid the potential layoff of 22,000 employees.
Key Data
22,000
— Number of city employees at risk of layoff starting in October if labor savings targets are not met.
$1 Billion
— Amount of recurring savings the City aims to negotiate with municipal labor unions.
$350 Million
— Reduction in overtime at the New York City Police Department approved as part of agency savings programs.
The New York City Police Department's fiscal year 2020 headcount reached 54,003 employees, with uniformed staff comprising 36,178 and civilians making up 17,825. This represents a growth of 3,288 employees since fiscal year 2010, with the majority of this increase occurring after fiscal year 2014.
Key Data
54,003
— NYPD fiscal year 2020 total headcount.
36,178
— Number of uniformed employees in fiscal year 2020.
17,825
— Number of civilian employees in fiscal year 2020.
3,288
— Growth in NYPD headcount from fiscal year 2010 to 2020.
50,715
— NYPD headcount in fiscal year 2010.
52,304
— Prior peak NYPD headcount in fiscal year 2009.
New York City's workforce reached a record high of 326,739 in fiscal year 2019, necessitating reductions to balance the budget during the current fiscal crisis. The proposed strategy involves reducing the city's headcount by 9,000 positions through attrition, including specific cuts to civilian, police, and Department of Education staff, to achieve significant annual savings.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should implement civilian headcount reductions of 7,326 over the course of fiscal year 2021 through 2022 to save $364 million in the first year and about $750 million annually thereafter.
City leaders should reduce the number of uniformed police officers by 1,174 over two years through attrition and adjusting the size of police recruit classes to save $57 million in fiscal year 2021 and about $100 million annually thereafter.
The City should reduce DOE civilian headcount by 500 positions by fiscal year 2022 to save about $60 million annually when fully implemented.
The City should utilize attrition to reduce the workforce by roughly 9,000 positions to help balance the budget without resorting to layoffs.
The City should fill only one in three vacancies over the next two years to reduce headcount while generating recurring annual savings of $1.7 billion.
Key Data
326,739
— Headcount at the end of fiscal year 2019.
7,326
— Civilian headcount reduction target over fiscal year 2021 through 2022.
1,174
— Reduction in uniformed police officers over two years.
500
— Reduction in DOE civilian headcount by fiscal year 2022.
9,000
— Total headcount reduction target.
311,018
— Headcount peak at the end of fiscal year 2008.
CBC hosted a special panel discussion of prominent fiscal experts who helped New York overcome some of the most dire crises of the past. They provided insights and lessons from past experiences to help us understand and navigate the looming crisis. Stephen Berger Chairman, Odyssey Investment Partners; Former Executive Director,…
While facing a $7.4 billion tax revenue shortfall, New York City projects an increase in the size of its workforce between fiscal years 2021 and 2024 rather than implementing significant spending cuts. State leaders are urged to reject legislation allowing the city to issue long-term debt for operating expenses until options to control expenditures and workforce growth are exhausted.
New York State and local governments face acute fiscal stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating difficult decisions regarding budget balancing. Strategies to manage these challenges include utilizing reserves, reducing expenditures through workforce adjustments or service cuts, increasing taxes, and restructuring debt.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Any necessary staff reductions can be implemented through attrition or layoffs.
Furloughs are a way to adapt to these situations, with employee work obligations and pay suspended for a temporary period.
Partly paid furloughs can protect worker income and health insurance while providing fiscal savings.
Data-driven performance management can provide insight to improve efficiency.
“Gain-sharing” arrangements may be useful where changes require labor-management agreement to change work rules.
New York City municipal employment reached an all-time high of 326,739 at the end of fiscal year 2019, an 11.3 percent increase from the 2012 low. To address looming budget gaps and fiscal instability, the city must implement an assertive plan to reduce the size of its workforce.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Administration should act now to shrink the workforce with the least impact on services.
The Adopted Budget should show the decline in headcount that will be needed to manage the next few fiscal years.
Key Data
311,018
— Number of New York City full-time and full-time equivalent personnel in fiscal year 2008.
293,550
— Number of New York City full-time and full-time equivalent personnel in fiscal year 2012.
326,739
— All-time high municipal employment reached at the end of fiscal year 2019.
33,189
— Increase in municipal employment from the fiscal year 2012 trough to the end of fiscal year 2019.
11.3 percent
— Percentage increase in municipal employment from fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2019.
336,120
— Projected authorized headcount through fiscal year 2024.
NYCHA is planning a 9 percent reduction in headcount by 2024, aiming to shift staff to front-line positions while managing rising labor costs and a shrinking workforce. Despite the planned reduction from 11,339 employees in 2020 to 10,262 by 2024, the agency faces structural risks if these personnel shifts are not supported by productivity enhancements or additional funding.
Recommendations related to Headcount
NYCHA’s fiscal stability depends on future settlements being financially sustainable and providing enough flexibility for NYCHA to implement its turnaround plan.
NYCHA’s forthcoming organizational plan must include a program to boost the rent collection rate and maintain it going forward.
Stabilizing its fiscal outlook must be front and center in these discussions.
Personnel shifts are necessary but could contribute to structural imbalances if they are not accompanied by a combination of additional funding, reallocation of resources, spending cuts, or productivity enhancements.
Key Data
9 percent
— Projected reduction in headcount by 2024.
5 percent
— Reduction in headcount since 2015.
11,339
— Projected headcount in 2020.
10,262
— Projected headcount in 2024.
358
— New positions funded in 2020 to address compliance with federal inspections and maintenance.
New York City's budget grew significantly between fiscal years 2014 and 2019, driven by policy choices including an 11 percent expansion of the full-time municipal workforce. Managing factors like headcount growth and rising contract costs is essential to restraining spending and preparing for potential economic downturns.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should manage the factors that have led to rapid spending growth, such as the rising cost of contracts, overtime, or headcount growth, to help reduce the need to take drastic actions when the inevitable downturn occurs.
Municipal leaders should prioritize spending restraint in the upcoming budget season to set aside additional resources to weather an economic downturn.
Key Data
300,442
— The number of full-time municipal employees in fiscal year 2019.
271,767
— The number of full-time municipal employees in fiscal year 2014.
11 percent
— The expansion rate of the full-time municipal workforce between fiscal years 2014 and 2019.
39 percent
— The portion of the $4.8 billion increase in full-time salaries and wages attributable to the increase in the workforce.
New York City's municipal workforce has grown by over 29,000 positions since fiscal year 2014, reaching 326,739 employees by the end of fiscal year 2019. To ensure fiscal stability, the city should halt this rapid expansion and keep the total headcount flat, or even reduce it, rather than allowing projected increases.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should keep total municipal headcount flat, or even reduce it, rather than allowing further increases.
The City should halt the projected addition of 11,085 positions by fiscal year 2022 to avoid further workforce growth.
The City should reverse the projected growth in the municipal workforce to ensure prudent fiscal management.
Key Data
326,739
— The total number of full-time and full-time equivalent employees in the municipal workforce at the end of fiscal year 2019.
29,000
— The number of additional employees added to the municipal workforce since fiscal year 2014.
11,085
— The number of additional positions projected to be added to the municipal workforce by fiscal year 2022.
29,390
— The number of additional positions in the municipal workforce at the end of fiscal year 2019 compared to the end of fiscal year 2014.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to hire 581 new police officers, which will cost $260 million over the 2020-2023 financial plan and increase the projected operating deficit to $1 billion. Before expanding the force, the agency should identify how to fund these costs without worsening its financial situation and work to maximize the effectiveness of the existing 3,283 officers.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The MTA Board needs to know exactly how the MTA will find the funds to pay for the hiring of 581 new officers without increasing the operating deficit.
The MTA should work with the NYPD and its own officers to establish clear goals and expectations and maximize the effectiveness of existing policing before spending scarce transit operating dollars.
The MTA Board must identify how it will cover the cost of this expenditure without increasing the MTA’s operating deficit before the new officers are hired.
Key Data
581
— The total number of new police officers and supervisors the MTA proposes to hire.
2,500
— The number of NYPD officers currently assigned to patrol subway and buses.
783
— The number of MTA officers currently patrolling commuter rail, bridges, and tunnels.
$260 million
— The cost of the new officers over the 2020-2023 financial plan.
$56.1 million
— The cost of the new police force in the first year.
$119.9 million
— The cost of the new police force in the tenth year.
New York City employed approximately 305,700 full-time workers in fiscal year 2019, with two-thirds of the workforce concentrated in just 20 specific job titles. While the number of positions in these titles grew by 2.3 percent annually between 2014 and 2019, average pay citywide increased to $85,636 over the same period.
Key Data
305,700
— New York City employed approximately 305,700 full-time employees in fiscal year 2019.
20
— Two-thirds of the city's full-time workforce is concentrated in 20 titles.
32,771
— The total citywide increase in full-time positions was 32,771 between fiscal years 2014 and 2019.
$85,636
— Average pay for full-time employees grew to $85,636 in fiscal year 2019.
$1.1 billion
— Uniformed overtime grew to $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2019.
In fiscal year 2019, New York City employed 306,000 active full-time staff with an average total pay of $85,636. Average annual compensation varied significantly by category, with uniformed employees earning $106,000, pedagogical employees earning $86,002, and civilian employees earning $73,106.
Key Data
306,000
— active full-time employees on New York City’s payroll in fiscal year 2019
$85,636
— average total pay for active full-time employees on New York City’s payroll in fiscal year 2019
$106,000
— average annual pay for uniformed employees
$73,106
— average annual pay for civilian employees
$86,002
— average annual pay for pedagogical employees
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plan to hire 500 new police officers and 81 supervisors will cost over $260 million between 2020 and 2023. This staffing expansion contributes to a $1 billion operating budget gap over the next four years, exacerbating the transit system's existing financial stress.
Key Data
500
— Number of new police officers the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has committed to hiring.
81
— Number of supervisors required to manage the new police officers.
$93,000
— Annual total cost for one officer in the first year, including salary, overtime, benefits, and pensions.
$56.1 million
— Annual cost of the hiring strategy in the first year.
$119.9 million
— Annual cost of the hiring strategy in the tenth year.
$260 million
— Cost of the 581 officers and supervisors over the 2020-2023 financial plan.
New York City's spending on leased space has grown 40 percent since fiscal year 2014, significantly outpacing the 10 percent increase in the number of full-time city employees. Improved management and data transparency are necessary to ensure efficient use of space and control these rising costs.
Key Data
10 percent
— The increase in the number of full-time City employees from fiscal years 2014 to 2018.
CBC Vice President Maria Doulis says MTA managers, riders, and drivers will all be making sacrifices through job cuts, fare hikes, and congestion pricing, so it’s only fair labor contributes as well: “The MTA’s demands reflect the fact that more needs to be done with the workforce in order to…
New York City's workforce is projected to reach a record 333,433 authorized positions in fiscal year 2020, an increase of approximately 1,100 positions over the previous year despite a partial hiring freeze. This growth in the city workforce contributes to an unsustainable spending trajectory that requires further restraint to preserve priority services.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Mayor and Council Speaker should identify opportunities to restrain spending, particularly by managing the record level of authorized positions in the city workforce, to ensure priority services are preserved.
Key Data
333,433
— Authorized positions in the city workforce projected for fiscal year 2020.
1,100
— Additional authorized positions in fiscal year 2020 compared to fiscal year 2019.
New York City's full-time and full-time equivalent staffing levels grew from 297,349 in fiscal year 2014 to 337,477 by fiscal year 2017. This upward trend in municipal headcount reflects a significant expansion in the city's workforce over that four-year period.
Key Data
297,349
— Full-time and full-time equivalent headcount in fiscal year 2014.
325,669
— Full-time and full-time equivalent headcount in fiscal year 2015.
332,285
— Full-time and full-time equivalent headcount in fiscal year 2016.
337,477
— Full-time and full-time equivalent headcount in fiscal year 2017.
The fiscal year 2020 executive budget includes a recurring reduction in headcount of 1,600 vacant positions, though it otherwise maintains a stay-the-course approach that fails to adequately prepare for potential economic downturns. While the budget increases contingency and capital reserves, these funds remain insufficient to cover the projected $15 billion to $20 billion revenue shortfall that could result from a recession.
Key Data
1,600
— Reduction in headcount of vacant positions on a recurring basis.
The New York City Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 projects a 3.4 percent increase in City-funded spending, which is accompanied by a continued expansion of the municipal workforce. While the budget includes a Program to Eliminate the Gap, further efforts to streamline operations and generate recurring savings are necessary to prepare for potential economic downturns.
New York City's workforce has expanded by 12 percent to a record 332,000 full-time equivalent employees since fiscal year 2014, adding 28,320 positions. To maintain fiscal stability, the city should halt further headcount growth and rely on improved productivity to manage new initiatives while curbing record-level overtime spending.
Recommendations related to Headcount
No additional headcount should be authorized; improved productivity of existing personnel should accommodate new needs and initiatives.
The City should focus on managing personnel costs for current staff, as overtime spending continues at record levels and should be reduced.
Achieving spending growth limits will require restraint in hiring and a vigorous Citywide Savings Program.
Key Data
332,000
— Record number of full-time equivalent employees in the City's workforce.
12 percent
— Expansion of the City's workforce since fiscal year 2014.
28,320
— Number of positions added to the city government from fiscal year 2014 to 2018.
6,970
— Projected growth in positions for the current fiscal year.
$1.8 billion
— Overtime spending recorded in fiscal year 2018.
State agencies should continue to reduce personnel and enhance efficiency to manage wage increases while maintaining flat spending levels. This approach is necessary to operate within existing appropriations despite collectively bargained salary hikes.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Agencies should continue to shed personnel and improve efficiency to accommodate raises in order to operate under flat appropriations.
New York City's emergency medical services are currently inefficiently deployed, with excessive resources allocated to non-emergency calls and fire engine responses rather than life-threatening medical incidents. Realigning these resources by reducing unnecessary ambulance requests, optimizing ambulance staffing models, and scaling back the role of fire engines could improve response times and generate significant taxpayer savings.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should develop programs to reduce residents’ unnecessary or inappropriate requests for an ambulance, such as nurse triage or telehealth, to better manage EMS demand.
The FDNY should increase the number of and more efficiently staff Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances to ensure they arrive at life-threatening incidents more promptly.
The City should dramatically reduce the role of fire engines in responding to medical incidents, dispatching them only when they are likely to arrive before an ambulance and provide necessary medical treatment.
The City should reverse the policy requiring two paramedics on ALS ambulances to allow for a one-paramedic and one-EMT staffing model, which would increase the number of available ALS units.
The City should conduct a thorough assessment of fire company locations and workloads to identify where companies can safely close without jeopardizing response times.
Key Data
$58.5 million
— Estimated annual savings from a 10 percent reduction in unnecessary or inappropriate ambulance requests.
$7.2 million
— Annual savings for every fire engine company closed.
1.5 million
— Number of medical incidents the FDNY responded to in 2017.
281,000
— Number of medical incident runs made by fire engine companies in 2017.
$1,970
— Estimated average cost of a fire engine response to a medical incident in 2017.
In fiscal year 2018, New York City employed approximately 297,000 full-time workers with an average total compensation of $80,978. Uniformed employees earned the highest average annual pay at $107,000, significantly bolstered by overtime and other pay components compared to civilian and pedagogical staff.
Key Data
297,000
— active full-time employees on New York City’s payroll in fiscal year 2018.
$80,978
— average total pay for active full-time employees in fiscal year 2018.
$107,000
— average annual pay for uniformed employees.
$70,726
— average annual pay for civilian employees.
$76,114
— average annual pay for pedagogical employees.
$10,000
— average annual overtime for civilians in several agencies including the Departments of Transportation, Correction, Citywide Administrative Services, and Fire.
New York State's workforce size has fluctuated during the Cuomo administration, decreasing to a low of 180,000 full-time equivalent employees in fiscal year 2015 before rising to approximately 182,000. Despite the reduction in total staff, personnel expenses have increased by 18 percent since fiscal year 2011, reaching an estimated $23 billion in fiscal year 2019.
Key Data
180,000
— The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) State employees decreased to a low of 180,000 in fiscal year 2015.
182,000
— The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) State employees is now approximately 182,000.
18 percent
— Total personnel expenses have increased 18 percent from less than $20 billion in fiscal year 2011 to an estimated $23 billion in fiscal year 2019.
2.9
— The ratio of inmates to correction officers in Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facilities was 2.9 inmates per CO in 2011.
2.5
— The ratio of inmates to correction officers in Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facilities decreased to 2.5 inmates per CO by 2018.
55,980
— The number of inmates in New York State prisons has declined from 55,980 in 2011.
The transit agency's car equipment division has seen fluctuations in staffing levels, with significant changes in scheduled maintenance positions and overall car equipment roles between 2002 and 2017. To restore subway car reliability, the agency must secure funding for modernization plans and prioritize investments in the 2020-2024 capital program.
Recommendations related to Headcount
MTA leadership should increase significantly its commitment to subway cars in the 2020-2024 capital program.
The agency must ensure that the Fast Forward plan is funded in future capital plans and administered effectively to achieve anticipated results.
MTA leaders should be prepared to make significant commitments to subway cars in the 2020-2024 capital program if it expects to return car reliability to its previous highpoint.
Key Data
4,400
— Total number of workers employed by NYCT’s car equipment division at the end of 2017.
19 percent
— Decrease in all other car equipment positions between 2002 and 2016.
280
— Number of car equipment positions funded by the SAP’s car equipment operating expense.
1,125
— Number of SMS-related positions as of 2017.
3,994
— Total number of car equipment positions in 2017, down from 4,105 in 2002.
Uniformed overtime costs remain high at the Fire Department and Department of Correction despite increased staffing levels that exceed budget projections. Addressing these costs requires negotiating work rule changes and implementing comprehensive strategies to manage high absenteeism rates rather than simply hiring more personnel.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should recognize that hiring more uniformed employees is not the solution to controlling overtime costs.
The City must tackle the high rate of absenteeism with a comprehensive strategy and changes to the sick leave policy, which currently grants unlimited sick time to uniformed employees.
Labor and management must negotiate work rule changes in the next round of labor contracts to address the root causes of excessive overtime.
Labor and management must come to the table to develop better strategies to control uniformed overtime costs.
Key Data
$1.2 billion
— Total amount earned by uniformed employees in overtime in fiscal year 2016.
$19,400
— Average overtime earned by each uniformed employee in fiscal year 2016.
53 percent
— Portion of the uniformed workforce earning overtime pay in excess of 20 percent of base salary in fiscal year 2016.
$272 million
— Uniformed overtime spending at the Fire Department in fiscal year 2017.
$240 million
— Department of Correction uniformed overtime spending in fiscal year 2017.
New York City's municipal workforce is projected to reach a record 331,520 employees by the end of fiscal year 2019, adding $2.5 billion in annual personnel expenses and increasing long-term liabilities by $521 million. To manage these rising costs and prepare for potential economic downturns, the city must implement stricter controls on hiring, vacancy management, and workforce efficiency.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Changing the default assumption that vacant positions will be retained and filled.
Vacant positions should be reviewed, assessed, and if unneeded, removed from the budget for all years of the financial plan.
Requiring agencies to look for opportunities to redeploy existing staff or utilize vacant lines when a new initiative is added, rather than creating new positions.
Agencies should be required to justify why a new responsibility cannot be completed with existing resources.
Undertaking a review of all positions to identify obsolete assignments that could be replaced by technology, integrated into other positions, or eliminated.
Key Data
331,520
— Projected number of municipal employees by the end of fiscal year 2019.
34,171
— Increase in the number of positions from the end of fiscal year 2014.
$2.5 billion
— Estimated gross annual compensation costs in fiscal year 2019 for 26,436 new full-time employees.
$521 million
— Estimated total long-term costs associated with the additional hires in fiscal year 2019.
75 percent
— Workforce increase at the Department of Buildings from fiscal year 2014 to 2019.
$56.2 billion
— Unfunded pension liability at the end of fiscal year 2017.
New York City's workforce has expanded by over 33,000 positions and is projected to grow by another 7,000 employees, necessitating a halt to this growth to manage fiscal stress. The city's budget relies on increasing expenditures that require stricter control over personnel expansion and agency efficiency to ensure long-term financial stability.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City must halt the growth of the workforce.
Key Data
33,000
— Number of positions the City workforce has already grown by.
7,000
— Number of additional employees the City workforce is projected to expand by.
The Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of teachers without permanent assignments, costs the city $136 million annually while providing full pay and benefits to staff who are not actively teaching. Implementing a six-month time limit on this reserve would incentivize teachers to secure permanent positions and reduce unnecessary expenditures.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should pursue reforms to the ATR, such as a six-month time limit, in upcoming labor negotiations with the UFT.
The City should use this round of negotiations to constrain, or preferably eliminate, the ATR.
Time in the ATR should be capped at six months.
Key Data
$136 million
— The cost to the City for paying teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve during the 2018 school year.
1,202
— The number of employees in the Absent Teacher Reserve at the beginning of the 2018 school year.
$98,126
— The average salary of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, compared to $84,108 for NYC teachers overall.
$23 million
— The estimated annual savings resulting from the 2018 separation incentive program for Absent Teacher Reserve staff.
170
— The number of teachers who accepted the 2018 separation incentive to resign or retire.
75
— The number of teachers placed in schools with vacancies as of February 2018, generating $7 million in annual savings.
402 is the projected headcount at the Department of Investigation at the end of FY 2018. Since 2013, the DOI’s budget has grown from $30.6 million to $48.2 million, an increase of 58%. DOI Commissioner Mark Peters discusses the reasons behind this growth and the major investigations he has led.
New York City government has expanded by over 33,000 positions since 2014, contributing to a budget that has grown by nearly $13 billion. Despite this significant increase in personnel and spending, the city has failed to implement meaningful efficiencies or long-term fiscal improvements.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Commissioners should justify new spending, account for the performance of existing programs and specify how they are saving on costs by improving operations.
The City Council should limit growth in agency spending to ensure fiscal discipline.
The City Council should carefully scrutinize spending proposals to ensure that new hiring and initiatives provide positive returns.
Key Data
33,000
— Number of positions by which city government has grown since 2014.
$1 Billion
— Annual agency expenses added in fiscal year 2019.
5.8%
— Rate at which city-funded expenditures will grow between fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
New York City's Fiscal Year 2019 Executive Budget increases operating spending at more than twice the rate of inflation while projecting total headcount to reach a record high. Although the plan includes some prudent fiscal steps, it relies heavily on debt service re-estimates for savings and lacks sufficient data to evaluate the performance of agencies managing the ballooning $82 billion capital commitment plan.
New York State has maintained its full-time employee headcount at 182,565, a significant reduction from the peak of 199,916 reached in fiscal year 2009. This stability in staffing levels reflects continued spending discipline within agency operations as part of the broader executive budget strategy.
Key Data
182,565
— Number of full-time employees currently maintained by the state.
199,916
— Peak number of full-time employees reached in fiscal year 2009.
NYCHA has reduced its total authorized headcount by 211 positions between 2015 and 2017, primarily by cutting 398 roles in community programs and the central office. These reductions, alongside the transfer of non-core workers to City agencies, have helped the organization control personnel costs and improve service performance.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Curb expenses by reducing headcount and eliminating responsibility for community centers, which are outside NYCHA's core mission.
NYCHA should continue streamlining operations and controlling personnel expenses through further headcount reductions.
NYCHA should shift non-core workers, especially in community and senior centers, to the City’s payroll to reduce its own headcount.
Key Data
211
— Total authorized headcount reduction at NYCHA between 2015 and 2017.
398
— Number of positions cut from community programs and the central office, driving the overall headcount reduction.
187
— Number of new positions added in the field to improve service performance following headcount reductions.
The Fiscal Year 2018 Adopted Budget includes a hiring freeze that is expected to be ineffective, as the city's total headcount is projected to reach 329,055. This growth continues a trend that has seen 31,000 new positions added since the start of the de Blasio administration, alongside rising average employee compensation.
Key Data
329,055
— Projected city headcount in fiscal year 2018.
570
— New positions added in the fiscal year 2018 Adopted Budget.
31,000
— New positions added since Mayor de Blasio took office.
$160,000
— Projected average compensation per employee by fiscal year 2021.
$140,000
— Current average compensation per employee.
New York City agencies should mandate efficiency savings to address budget risks, as many currently contribute little to the Citywide Savings Program. By optimizing workforce deployment, such as insourcing consultant roles and redeploying retirees, the city could significantly increase recurring savings beyond the current voluntary efforts.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city should prioritize insourcing positions currently filled by consultants to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Agencies should focus on placing teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve into permanent positions to maximize workforce efficiency.
The city should establish a Centralized Skilled Trades Pool to more nimbly deploy personnel and address maintenance backlogs.
The city should consider reinstating mandatory savings requirements for agencies to ensure broader participation in efficiency programs.
Agencies should pursue redeploying retirees as a strategy to generate recurring savings.
Key Data
$59 million
— Efficiency savings generated by the Department of Education in fiscal year 2018.
$11 million
— Savings from placing teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve into permanent positions in fiscal year 2018.
$7 million
— Savings from insourcing positions currently filled by consultants in fiscal year 2018.
$17 million
— Four-year total savings projected from the Redeploy Retirees initiative.
$15 million
— Four-year total savings projected from the Centralized Skilled Trades Pool initiative.
New York City's projected labor cost growth is driven by rising spending per position and an increasing workforce, with headcount expected to reach a record 331,605 by fiscal year 2021. To address this, the city must slow labor cost growth by requiring productivity gains in exchange for raises and settling contracts before they expire.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city should require productivity gains in exchange for raises to offset the impact of rising labor costs.
To secure productivity gains, the city should settle contracts in advance of their expiration dates, as these gains cannot be retroactive.
The city should pursue strategies that reduce overtime costs as a part of the upcoming labor negotiations.
The city and municipal labor unions should continue the effort to find more health insurance savings during the next contract period.
Key Data
331,605
— Projected new high for city headcount by fiscal year 2021.
$140,000
— Average spending on salaries and wages, pensions, and fringe benefits per position in fiscal year 2018.
$160,000
— Projected average spending on salaries and wages, pensions, and fringe benefits per position in fiscal year 2021.
1 percent
— Funding included in the Labor Reserve for raises.
8.1 percent
— Projected average annual growth rate for health insurance costs from fiscal years 2018 through 2021.
New York City's total headcount is projected to increase by more than 31,000 employees between fiscal years 2014 and 2018. This workforce expansion is part of a broader trend where total city headcount is expected to reach 331,605 by fiscal year 2021.
Key Data
31,000
— Projected increase in city headcount from FY 2014 to FY 2018.
297,349
— Total city headcount in fiscal year 2014.
331,605
— Total city headcount in fiscal year 2021.
In fiscal year 2016, New York City employed roughly 283,000 full-time workers who earned an average total pay of $76,064. Average annual compensation varied significantly by role, with uniformed employees earning $109,000, pedagogical staff earning $70,000, and civilian employees earning $66,500.
Key Data
283,000
— active full-time employees on New York City’s payroll in fiscal year 2016
$76,064
— average total pay for active full-time employees in fiscal year 2016
$109,000
— average annual pay for uniformed employees
$66,500
— average annual pay for civilian employees
$70,000
— average annual pay for pedagogical employees
$10,000
— average annual overtime pay for civilians in several agencies including the Departments of Transportation, Correction, Citywide Administrative Services, and Fire
The state budget proposal includes a reduction in the Executive-controlled workforce, continuing a trend that has seen a 10% decrease in state employees since 2010. Additionally, concerns exist that new scholarship programs may increase student enrollment, necessitating adequate resources for institutions to manage the resulting staffing and facility demands.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The state should maintain fiscal discipline by supporting the Executive Budget's plan to decrease the Executive-controlled workforce.
If the Excelsior College Scholarship program is adopted, the state must provide SUNY and CUNY with adequate resources to accommodate increased staffing and facility needs resulting from higher enrollment.
Key Data
10%
— The decrease in the Executive-controlled workforce since 2010.
Municipal employment is projected to exceed 327,000 in fiscal year 2018, representing a 9% increase since January 2014. This expansion of government scale is part of a broader budget growth that has seen total spending rise to $87.1 billion.
Key Data
327,000
— Projected municipal employment in fiscal year 2018.
9%
— Increase in municipal employment from January 2014 to fiscal year 2018.
The FY2018 preliminary budget analysis highlights critical areas for scrutiny, including the growth of city employee headcount, the reliance on debt service savings, and the fiscal sustainability of programs like homeless shelters, which have a census surpassing 60,000. It also emphasizes the need for transparency regarding capital investments, such as the $17 billion in unmet needs for the New York City Housing Authority, and the impact of state budget decisions on city finances.
The de Blasio Administration increased staffing levels across multiple city agencies in fiscal year 2016, including the Department of Correction, the Department of Education, and the Department of Homeless Services. These headcount expansions were implemented alongside various policy initiatives, such as anti-violence reforms in jails and the expansion of universal pre-kindergarten programs.
Key Data
3 percent
— Increase in uniformed headcount for the New York City Police Department in fiscal year 2016.
22 percent
— Increase in Department of Correction headcount in fiscal year 2016.
12,458
— Total full-time and full-time equivalent employees at the Department of Correction in fiscal year 2016.
475
— Number of new employees hired by the Department of Homeless Services in fiscal year 2016.
2,734
— Number of new staff hired by the Department of Education for the 2015-2016 school year.
129
— Additional full-time staff hired by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development during fiscal year 2015.
The city's workforce is projected to grow by 23,197 employees between fiscal years 2014 and 2020, reaching a total of 323,831. This expansion, coupled with rising per-employee compensation costs that now average $137,000, creates significant long-term financial pressure on the municipal budget.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city government should require employees and retirees to contribute to their health insurance premiums rather than paying for the full cost of coverage.
New York City should align its benefits structure with the private and public sectors by ending the practice of providing fully-funded health coverage to employees and retirees.
Key Data
23,197
— Increase in the city's workforce between fiscal years 2014 and 2020.
323,831
— Total city workforce projected by fiscal year 2020.
$137,000
— Average annual compensation per full-time city employee.
$158,000
— Projected average annual compensation per full-time employee by 2020.
$70 billion
— City's liability for retiree health insurance costs and other post-employment benefits.
28%
— Growth in average compensation cost per employee between fiscal year 2008 and 2016.
The municipal workforce is projected to grow by 23,197 positions to reach 323,831 between fiscal years 2014 and 2020, with the bulk of this increase occurring between 2014 and 2016. While total employment in the city has grown by 249,000 positions since January 2014, the Financial Plan assumes an additional expansion of 200,000 positions through 2020.
Key Data
23,197
— The municipal workforce will increase by 23,197 to 323,831 between fiscal years 2014 and 2020.
249,000
— Employment in the city has grown by 249,000 positions since the Mayor and Council members took office in January 2014.
200,000
— The Financial Plan assumes employment will expand by another 200,000 through 2020.
19,927
— The bulk of the headcount increase, 19,927, took place between fiscal years 2014 and 2016.
8,210
— The Department of Education's total headcount will increase 8,210 or 6 percent between fiscal years 2014 and 2020.
3,448
— City-funded headcount is increasing by 3,448 at the Police Department.
New York City's financial plan includes projections for various fiscal metrics, including tax revenues, expenses, debt service, and city employee headcount. The plan also incorporates savings derived from the health savings agreement with the Municipal Labor Committee and the Citywide Savings Plan.
The New York City Fire Department allocates 71 percent of its budget and two-thirds of its personnel to firefighting, despite medical emergencies accounting for 75 percent of its incident responses. To address this mismatch, the department should rebalance its resources by increasing firefighter medical training, adjusting ambulance staffing models, and fundamentally reorganizing its service structure.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The FDNY should apply again to the NYC-REMSCO for permission to change ALS ambulance staffing to one paramedic and one EMT, which would yield about $5 million in savings.
The FDNY should increase the medical training of firefighters so they can handle more situations without reliance on a separate ambulance and its staff.
The FDNY should require EMT qualifications for new applicants for firefighter jobs, which would also effectively create a career ladder for advancement among the EMS staff.
The FDNY should have at least one of the firefighters staffing an engine company trained as an EMT, which would require training about 850 or roughly 8 percent of uniformed personnel.
The FDNY should fundamentally reorganize the department to redefine the relationships between the two services and rebalance the financial and human resources provided for each.
Key Data
10,777
— Number of uniformed firefighters and fire officers in fiscal year 2015.
4,700
— Approximate number of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in fiscal year 2015.
850
— Number of uniformed personnel (roughly 8 percent) that would require training to have at least one firefighter on each engine company trained as an EMT.
$5 million
— Estimated savings from changing ALS ambulance staffing to one paramedic and one EMT.
18
— Number of weeks of training firefighters receive.
200
— Number of hours of training an EMT has received.
The FY2016-2017 New York State Executive Budget maintains state agency spending by keeping the number of state employees essentially flat and negotiating limited wage increases. However, the budget's approach to personnel costs is criticized for failing to reform binding arbitration for fiscally distressed municipalities and for lacking documentation on the fiscal impact of the proposed minimum wage increase.
Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for public and contracted agency workers would affect tens of thousands of employees and cost taxpayers over half a billion dollars annually. Because these costs cannot be offset by higher prices or profits, officials must prioritize productivity improvements to ensure taxpayers receive better service in return for the increased expenditure.
Recommendations related to Headcount
If a sizable increase in the minimum wage is pursued, the city and state should focus on how simultaneously to increase productivity to improve service delivery.
Public discussion regarding the compensation of public employees should address what the impact on taxpayers will be and whether the public will get better service in return.
The impact on those employees who make $16 or $18 per hour should also be considered regarding whether their wages will rise or if they will watch the wages of colleagues grow.
Key Data
10,000
— Number of state workers affected by the governor's pledge to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
$20.3 million
— Annual cost to the state for raising the minimum wage for approximately 10,000 state workers.
$19 million
— Annual cost to the city for instituting a $15 wage standard for municipal workers.
30,000
— Number of workers at agencies contracting with the city that could be affected by the $15 wage standard.
$300 million
— Approximate annual cost for wages and fringe benefits for the 30,000 workers at agencies contracting with the city.
half a billion dollars
— Combined annual cost to New York state and city taxpayers for the wage increases.
The New York City Housing Authority's "NextGeneration NYCHA" roadmap aims to address severe financial deficits by streamlining operations and reducing administrative staff. This plan includes cutting office headcount to achieve $90 million in annual savings by 2019, alongside other revenue-generating and cost-saving measures.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Streamlining management to curtail the scope of responsibility for borough offices to non-redundant functions would save $33 million annually by 2019.
Negotiating work rule changes in collective bargaining to limit overtime compensation for work performed in the evenings and on weekends.
Key Data
$33 million
— Annual savings by 2019 from streamlining management to curtail the scope of responsibility for borough offices to non-redundant functions.
$90 million
— Annual savings by 2019 from reducing NYCHA's office headcount.
$19 million
— Annual savings from transferring community and senior centers to other City agencies.
$68 million
— Annual savings from reducing the operating cost gap between NYCHA and rent-stabilized units by 10 percent.
The New York City Law Department has seen its staffing levels grow from 1,389 employees in 2006 to a forecasted 1,542 in 2016. This increase in personnel coincides with rising expenditures and fluctuating costs associated with city judgments and claims.
Key Data
1,389
— Number of Law Department employees in 2006.
1,504
— Number of Law Department employees in 2014.
1,542
— Forecasted number of Law Department employees in 2016.
The fiscal year 2016 Executive Budget maintains fiscal discipline by holding agency operations spending relatively flat. This approach includes a reduction in the Executive-controlled workforce from 131,741 in fiscal year 2010 to 119,160 in fiscal year 2016, representing a 9.5% decrease.
Key Data
131,741
— Executive-controlled workforce in fiscal year 2010.
119,160
— Executive-controlled workforce in fiscal year 2016.
9.5%
— Decrease in the Executive-controlled workforce from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2016.
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation reduced its workforce by 2,203 full-time equivalent employees between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2014, bringing the total to 37,857. This reduction was part of broader efforts to manage financial challenges and restructure operations to align with changing service demands.
Key Data
2,203
— Number of staff reduced by HHC between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2014.
40,060
— HHC headcount in full-time equivalent employees in fiscal year 2010.
37,857
— HHC headcount in full-time equivalent employees in fiscal year 2014.
140
— Number of IT jobs insourced by HHC.
2,366
— Number of employees covered by the 1199SEIU contract.
8,314
— Number of employees covered by the NYSNA contract.
The proposal to hire 1,000 new police officers at an annual cost of nearly $100 million is questionable given that the department already ranks fifth in staffing among the 50 most populous U.S. cities. Instead of increasing headcount, the city should focus on controlling overtime expenditures and reassigning the 730 officers currently performing civilian functions to patrol duties.
Recommendations related to Headcount
New hiring will not assure a reduction in overtime expenditures without an accompanying revision of overtime protocols.
Negotiations should instead be focused on ways to control overtime.
Negotiations should instead be focused on moving officers performing civilian roles to patrol.
Negotiations should instead be focused on administrative restructuring within the department.
Hiring police administrative aids to free up 500 officers for patrol duty would cost $26.3 million annually.
Key Data
1,000
— Number of new police officers proposed for hiring at an estimated cost of almost $100 million annually.
41.7
— Number of police officers per 10,000 New Yorkers in the NYPD.
23.8
— Average number of police officers per 10,000 residents among the 50 most populous U.S. cities.
730
— Number of police officers currently performing civilian functions.
$26.3 million
— Annual cost to hire police administrative aids to free up 500 officers for patrol duty.
17.8
— Number of civilian employees per 10,000 residents in the NYPD.
New York City's municipal workforce is aging, with over one-third of employees eligible for retirement within five years and a significant portion of the current staff over age 55. To address this, the city must modernize its compensation, hiring practices, and retirement benefits to attract younger, skilled workers and adapt to changing operational needs.
Recommendations related to Headcount
City leaders should reconfigure the City’s compensation and hiring practices to attract a young and skilled workforce.
City employees need more flexible retirement options to encourage job mobility.
The City should implement a defined contribution retirement plan, which allows for quick vesting and portability of benefits.
City leaders should convene a task force to analyze city operations and staffing.
The City should update civil service rules and collective bargaining agreements to reflect modern expectations about work.
Key Data
327,793
— Full-time and full-time equivalent headcount of the municipal workforce in fiscal year 2012.
23%
— Percentage of the City’s municipal workforce over age 55 at the end of fiscal year 2012.
19%
— Percentage of the municipal workforce eligible for retirement with full benefits at the end of fiscal year 2012.
61%
— Percentage of skilled craft workers eligible for short-term retirement.
$65,299
— Median salary of a City employee in fiscal year 2012.
$34,019
— Median salary of the average New Yorker in fiscal year 2012.
This presentation was given during CBC's Conference on The Most Important Economic and Fiscal Decisions Facing the Next Mayor , which took place on December 6, 2013.. CBC provides a framework for curbing expenditures effectively and provides 8 options for savings: Implementing health insurance premium-sharing; Consolidating union welfare funds;…
This presentation was given by Maria Doulis, CBC’s Director of New York City Studies, at “The Measured City: Using Data to Improve New York City Government” Conference, on Oct. 30, 2013.
New York State significantly reduced its executive branch workforce between 2005 and 2012, dropping from 135,723 to 119,579 positions. This reduction in personnel reflects a broader effort to streamline government operations and improve efficiency through the SAGE Commission's recommendations.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Reform the civil service law and the performance appraisal process to enhance managerial discretion in employment decisions.
Merge and consolidate agencies and public authorities that perform overlapping functions to achieve recurring savings, even if it encounters opposition from those with a vested interest in maintaining jobs.
Right size the expensive and underutilized criminal and juvenile justice systems by closing facilities, which is a strategy to reduce state personnel.
Key Data
135,723
— Executive headcount at the end of fiscal year 2005.
119,579
— Executive headcount at the end of fiscal year 2012.
16,144
— Decrease in staffers between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2012.
12%
— Percentage decrease in executive headcount from fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2012.
142,041
— Executive headcount at the end of 2008.
22,462
— Number of positions reduced from the peak hiring year of fiscal year 2008.
The November 2012 Program to Eliminate the Gap aims to save $1.5 billion over two years, with less than half of these savings coming from expenditure reductions and only a small fraction involving personnel decreases. Among a workforce of nearly 296,000, the planned two-year headcount reduction represents a contraction of less than 1 percent, relying primarily on attrition rather than layoffs.
Key Data
296,000
— Total city workforce size, of which the two-year headcount reduction represents a contraction of less than 1 percent.
627
— Total positions to be eliminated in fiscal year 2013, with all but 35 occurring through attrition.
1,218
— Total positions to be reduced in fiscal year 2014, which includes 120 layoffs.
385
— Positions eliminated at the Human Resources Administration, representing the largest headcount reduction in the program.
240
— Positions eliminated due to the canceled re-opening of the Department of Correction’s Queens Detention Center.
165
— Positions shifted from City funding to federal and state funding, counted as part of total attrition.
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation faces significant fiscal challenges due to declining supplemental Medicaid payments and rising expenses, necessitating further cost-cutting measures. To address projected operating deficits exceeding $1.7 billion by 2016, the corporation must either identify new funding sources or implement more aggressive efficiency measures, which may include further reductions in services or personnel.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Health and Hospitals Corporation must redouble its efforts at delivering services more efficiently to avoid a dramatic reduction in the services provided to needy residents.
The Health and Hospitals Corporation must identify sources for funds to replace lost supplemental Medicaid payments to address projected operating deficits.
The Health and Hospitals Corporation must find other ways to care for existing patients to successfully implement restructuring initiatives like consolidating long-term care services.
Key Data
2,500
— Full-time employee headcount trimmed by the Health and Hospitals Corporation between 2009 and early 2012.
$218 million
— Reduction in personal service expenditures achieved by the Health and Hospitals Corporation through headcount reductions.
$1.7 billion
— Projected operating deficit for the Health and Hospitals Corporation in fiscal year 2016.
The MTA has implemented significant workforce reductions, including the elimination of over 1,000 positions and over 500 layoffs, as part of a broader efficiency program to address budget deficits. These staffing cuts, alongside proposed work rule changes like part-time scheduling for train operators and conductors, aim to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency without further burdening riders with fare increases or service cuts.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The MTA should implement proposals to merge the positions of conductor and train operator to shift toward more efficient, single-person train operations.
The MTA should require up to one-fifth of train operators and conductors to work on a part-time basis to provide scheduling flexibility and reduce the need for overtime.
The MTA should pursue work rule changes that expand the range of duties required by each title, such as requiring station cleaners to perform routine maintenance chores like changing light bulbs and removing graffiti.
Key Data
1,000
— Total number of positions eliminated by the MTA as part of its efficiency program.
500
— Number of layoffs included in the elimination of positions.
15%
— Reduction in administrative personnel at the MTA.
New York maintains one of the most intensively staffed special education systems in the nation, with a student-to-staff ratio of 5.5 compared to the national average of 10.1. Proposed reforms aim to reduce unnecessary costs by shifting focus from rigid staffing ratios to student performance and individualized services.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Board of Regents should approve the proposed changes to special education mandates in November and resist the temptation to weaken or postpone them.
The State Legislature should pass the necessary changes to State law to support mandate relief and reduce unsustainable costs.
Policymakers should prioritize service quality as measured by student performance rather than relying on specific staffing ratios as the indicator of success.
Key Data
5.5
— Student-to-staff ratio in New York.
10.1
— U.S. average student-to-staff ratio.
200
— Special education mandates imposed by New York State beyond those required by federal law.
2.4
— Factor by which special education costs are greater than general education costs.
7.5 percent
— Average annual rate of instructional spending increase for special education over the past decade.
The 2010 Early Retirement Incentive in New York successfully reduced the public workforce by 9,311 employees, generating $681 million in net savings over two years. However, alternative reforms to fringe benefits, such as adjusting health insurance premium sharing, could have achieved greater financial savings without necessitating such significant reductions in staff.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The next time an early retirement incentive is proposed, more options should be explored.
Reforms to fringe benefits may have saved even more and would have prevented headcount reduction.
School districts outside New York City should align their health insurance premium sharing plan with New York State government.
The state should eliminate New York State government’s rare practice of reimbursing Medicare Part B premiums.
The state should increase health insurance premium sharing for retirees to 50 percent.
Key Data
9,311
— experienced workers lost due to the early retirement incentive, potentially lowering the level of services.
$681 million
— net savings generated by the early retirement incentive over two years.
$1.4 billion
— gross savings from two-year payroll reductions.
$755 million
— pension benefit costs required to finance the early retirement incentives.
$817 million
— total savings that would have been achieved if the same headcount reduction had been accomplished through layoffs.
14,371
— New York State and local employees who accepted the early retirement incentive.
Municipal union agreements have largely avoided layoffs by utilizing one-time budget resources and attrition rather than achieving structural labor concessions. These temporary measures fail to address the underlying need for long-term reforms, such as eliminating the Absent Teacher Reserve, to prevent recurring threats of widespread staff reductions.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should eliminate the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) altogether to achieve recurring savings in personnel costs.
The City should negotiate more significant labor concessions to avoid the perennial threat of widespread layoffs.
Key Data
5,000
— Number of municipal employees facing planned layoffs.
4,600
— Number of teacher layoffs avoided by the UFT agreement.
850
— Number of positions funded by UFT concessions.
1,400
— Number of additional teachers expected to leave their positions voluntarily.
465
— Number of Department of Parks and Recreation positions saved from layoffs.
665
— Total number of Department of Parks and Recreation positions originally slated for layoffs.
The fiscal year 2012 budget agreement avoided some teacher layoffs and fire company closures but still resulted in over 1,000 layoffs and service cuts across city agencies. Because the city failed to address structural spending growth in health insurance, pensions, and debt service, it faces a projected $4.8 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2013.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City’s leaders must work with the Municipal Labor Committee to reform health insurance arrangements to avoid the need for future layoffs and service cuts.
The City Council should join the Mayor in backing the pension reform bill that has been introduced by the Governor to reduce the necessity of workforce reductions.
The Mayor and City Council should make slowing the growth of debt service a higher priority to prevent further personnel cuts.
Key Data
9,450
— Total number of positions included for elimination in the Executive Budget proposal.
5,660
— Number of layoffs included in the Executive Budget proposal.
4,300
— Number of planned layoffs in the Department of Education.
1,000
— Number of layoffs and cuts in other city agencies that will proceed despite spending restorations.
New York City can avoid 4,300 teacher layoffs and other service cuts by adopting a labor agreement template similar to the state's, which includes wage freezes, furloughs, and health insurance premium contributions. Implementing these measures could generate $1.4 billion in savings for the city in fiscal year 2012.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City’s leaders and the Municipal Labor Committee should consider these changes seriously to avoid municipal layoffs.
A five day furlough for all municipal employees would save $400 million in 2012.
If the City required employees to make the same contributions as CSEA employees, the City would save $735 million.
Adopting the State’s plan would extend the wage freeze to a third year for $388 million in savings in 2013.
If the City adopted the State’s long-standing policy for retiree premium-sharing, the City would save an additional $290 million in fiscal year 2012.
Key Data
4,300
— Number of teacher layoffs the City Council and municipal unions are looking to prevent.
$1.4 billion
— Potential savings for New York City in fiscal year 2012 by following the state's labor agreement template.
$400 million
— Savings from implementing a five day furlough for all municipal employees in 2012.
$735 million
— Savings the City would realize if employees made the same health insurance premium contributions as state employees.
$290 million
— Additional savings in fiscal year 2012 if the City adopted the state's policy for retiree premium-sharing.
$388 million
— Savings in 2013 from extending the wage freeze to a third year.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's bus and commuter rail systems demonstrate significant inefficiencies compared to other large U.S. transit agencies, particularly in vehicle maintenance and non-vehicle operations. Improving these services requires addressing inefficient staffing patterns, such as the continued use of redundant station personnel, and optimizing labor productivity to align with national benchmarks.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The MTA should continue efforts to terminate inefficient staffing patterns for stations, including the continued use of former token booth clerks, to lead to efficiency improvements.
The MTA should pursue the consolidation and elimination of many administrative services to achieve efficiency savings.
The MTA should implement measures to reduce overtime as part of its strategy to overhaul business operations.
The MTA should pursue cuts to maintenance, cleaning and customer service to achieve recurring efficiency savings.
Key Data
570
— Number of station workers the MTA decided to eliminate in March 2009.
26
— Number of station supervisors the MTA decided to eliminate in March 2009.
478
— Number of workers sent notification in May 2010 that their jobs had been eliminated.
$32 Million
— Projected savings in 2011 from the 'net-zero' wage policy.
$220 Million
— Projected savings in 2014 from the 'net-zero' wage policy.
Between fiscal years 2008 and 2010, New York City reduced its full-time workforce by 6,588 employees, or 2.3 percent, as part of broader efforts to balance the budget. These staffing reductions, achieved through layoffs and attrition, disproportionately impacted agencies like the Department of Education, the Department of Homeless Services, and the Parks Department.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should reduce spending on pension fund contributions and health insurance premiums for employees and retirees to avoid further cuts to agency budgets and headcount.
City leaders should pursue new initiatives to reduce the 'all other' budget category, which includes pension and fringe benefits, to protect agency staffing levels from further reductions.
Unions should accept changes in collective bargaining over health benefits to prevent additional layoffs and staff attrition.
Key Data
274,061
— The number of full-time city employees at the end of fiscal year 2010.
6,588
— The reduction in the number of full-time employees compared to June 2008.
475
— Administrative and support staff positions eliminated at the Department of Education.
1,440
— Teacher positions not filled through attrition at the Department of Education.
969
— Staff positions reduced at the Administration for Children’s Services.
240
— Positions eliminated at the Sanitation Department, most of which were street cleaners.
New York City's fiscal year 2011 budget plan relies heavily on temporary revenue shifts and one-time sources to avoid immediate service cuts, while deferring significant personnel reductions to the following year. Future budget gaps will require substantial expenditure cuts, including a projected reduction of 8,264 positions, unless structural reforms to employee health insurance and pension costs are implemented.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City must implement reforms to reduce employee health insurance or pension costs to avoid harmful cuts to services when closing future budget gaps.
Key Data
42%
— Percentage of the dollar amount of expenditure actions that have associated headcount reductions.
$91.6 Million
— Savings achieved from expenditure actions with associated headcount reductions.
2,000
— Number of positions lost due to expenditure actions with associated headcount reductions.
8,264
— Total headcount reduction projected for fiscal year 2012.
350
— Number of civilian positions the Police Department will cut.
200
— Number of uniformed workers the sanitation department will lose.
Governor Paterson's plan to eliminate 2,000 state positions aims to address an $8 billion budget gap, though this reduction masks significant disparities between agencies where executive-controlled staffing has declined while university and judiciary employment has grown. Rather than layoffs, increasing employee health insurance premium contributions from 25 to 30 percent could achieve equivalent savings of $79 million annually without further reducing the workforce.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Reducing the cost of health insurance and retiree benefits is a preferable option to layoffs; it would save money and prevent further deterioration of state services.
Increasing employee premium sharing for family health insurance plans from 25 to 30 percent would save $79 million annually, the equivalent savings from letting go of 898 workers.
Key Data
898
— Number of state workers slated for layoffs under Governor Paterson's plan.
1,102
— Number of vacant positions that will be left unfilled.
2,000
— Total number of full-time positions to be eliminated.
190,380
— Resulting number of full-time state employees after the proposed eliminations.
5 percent
— Reduction in full-time state employees from the end of fiscal year 2008-09.
$79 million
— Annual savings from increasing employee premium sharing for family health insurance plans from 25 to 30 percent.
The fiscal year 2011 budget includes the elimination of over 4,200 city jobs, including 1,100 layoffs, to address financial gaps as surplus funds from previous years are exhausted. To avoid such workforce reductions, reforms to public employee health and pension benefits could generate over $1 billion in annual savings.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should require employee contributions to health care premiums of 10 percent for individuals, 25 percent for families, and 50 percent for retirees, which would generate enough savings to prevent the 1,100 layoffs slated for this fiscal year.
The City should implement pension reforms, including a new pension tier with greater employee contributions and a longer vesting period, to achieve savings that could mitigate the need for job cuts.
Key Data
4,200
— Total number of city jobs eliminated in the fiscal year 2011 Program to Eliminate the Gap.
1,100
— Number of city employees facing layoffs in the fiscal year 2011 budget.
$1 billion
— Annual savings the City could achieve by requiring employee contributions to health care premiums.
$200 million
— Annual savings the City estimated it could achieve by creating a new pension tier with greater employee contributions and a longer vesting period.
New York State's fiscal stability requires a more aggressive approach to managing its workforce, as current employment reduction plans are insufficient to address a projected $12.4 billion budget gap. By reexamining the necessity of filling vacant positions and increasing the workweek to reduce overall staffing needs, the state could achieve significant savings beyond current attrition-based strategies.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The state should reexamine the need to fill any position in state government in the coming year to achieve savings from not filling vacant positions.
Negotiations with public employee unions should include adding hours to the workweek in order to reduce needed staffing levels and overtime.
The state should pursue greater reductions in state employment, as the current plan to reduce full-time positions by only 0.03 percent is insufficient.
Key Data
19,000
— The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees added in the Judiciary, SUNY, and CUNY since 1990.
36,000
— The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees reduced in the rest of State government since 1990.
1,856
— The net reduction in full-time equivalent (FTE) employment between January 2008 and January 2010.
16,000
— The number of positions expected to be vacated through attrition in the coming year.
4,053
— The total three-year reduction in full-time employment if Executive proposals are accepted.
$800 Million
— The estimated savings from not filling 16,000 vacant positions.
New York City faces a potential budget crisis requiring the layoff of 18,000 employees, but implementing structural changes to work hours, benefits, and teacher assignments could generate $2 billion in savings to preserve these positions. These reforms include adopting a 40-hour workweek for civilian staff and restructuring health insurance and pension contributions to align with private sector standards.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The city should adopt a 40-hour workweek for civilian municipal employees, which would require about 8,500 fewer positions to provide the same service.
The city should create a new pension tier for future workers, which would yield enough savings to avoid laying off 2,000 teachers.
The city should speed up the review process for teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve and limit the time they spend there, which would save the equivalent of 1,000 teaching positions.
The city should adopt private sector practices for health insurance contributions, which would save enough to avoid all the police and firefighter layoffs in the worst-case scenario.
The city should better manage overtime by replacing it with workers on regular schedules, which would help avoid large-scale layoffs.
Key Data
18,000
— Number of city employees, including 7,019 teachers, 3,150 police officers, and 1,050 firefighters, facing potential layoffs due to budget cuts.
8,500
— Number of fewer positions needed to provide the same service if civilian municipal employees worked a 40-hour week.
2,000
— Number of teachers that could be saved from layoffs by offering future workers a more affordable pension package.
1,000
— Number of teaching positions equivalent to the savings gained by speeding up the review process for teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve.
2,000
— Number of teachers currently not assigned to a classroom who are paid annually by the city.
The Mayor's preliminary budget for fiscal years 2010-2014 includes a plan to eliminate 4,286 city jobs by the end of fiscal year 2011, primarily through attrition, though 834 civilian workers face layoffs. Additionally, the city's contingency plan for potential state aid reductions warns of a possible loss of 19,000 jobs, including over 7,000 teachers and 3,150 police officers.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City needs a realistic plan for how to deal with potential cuts in State aid rather than relying on a contingency plan that assumes the only response is to eliminate jobs.
The City should evaluate whether the Department of Education's exemption from staff reductions is justified given the current difficult fiscal situation.
The City should continue to seek a better bargain with public employee unions to save money while sustaining services with fewer workers.
Key Data
4,286
— Total jobs to be eliminated by the end of fiscal year 2011.
Between 2000 and 2009, the number of full-time municipal workers in New York City increased by 6,838, a trend that must be reversed to maintain fiscal health. The city should implement work rule changes, technological innovations, and a shift to a 40-hour workweek to reduce the total number of positions through attrition.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Mayor must find ways to do as much or more with fewer workers.
A shift from a 35- to a 40-hour workweek is one way to start reducing the number of municipal workers.
The City should adopt work rule changes and technological innovations to enable the City to operate as well as it does today while eliminating positions, largely through attrition.
Key Data
6,838
— The number of full-time municipal workers grew by 6,838 or about 2.5% from 2000 to 2009.
20%
— During the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the number of City workers was cut by nearly 20% through layoffs and attrition.
The City of New York employs 89,000 teachers, yet faces significant fiscal challenges regarding staffing practices, including the costly Absent Teacher Reserve and the slow removal of unsatisfactory educators. To address these issues, the next teachers' contract should prioritize performance-based staffing, expedite the termination of ineffective teachers, and limit indefinite compensation for those not actively teaching.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Compensation for teachers who are not teaching should end.
Payments to teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve should cease after six months.
Unsatisfactory teachers should be terminated quickly.
Hiring more arbitrators and further streamlining procedures can reduce the extensive cost and delay associated with adjudicating cases against teachers.
The new contract should include modifications to these seniority rules that give principals an enhanced role in deciding the order of layoffs so that recent job performance can be a factor.
Key Data
89,000
— The City of New York employs 89,000 teachers, which constitutes about 30 percent of the City’s total full-time workforce.
1,400
— There were 1,400 teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve at the start of the 2008 school year.
$74 million
— The annual cost of the Absent Teacher Reserve was estimated to be over $74 million in the 2008 school year.
640
— Approximately 640 teachers are in the temporary reassignment centers, often called 'rubber rooms'.
$60 million
— The cost to the City for teachers in the rubber rooms is about $60 million a year.
276
— In the 2007-2008 school year, 276 teachers were dismissed for poor performance.
New York faces a significant fiscal challenge with budget gaps reaching nearly $14 billion, necessitating strategic spending reforms rather than tax increases. To address these gaps, the state should reduce its workforce size, specifically by examining employment growth in agencies like SUNY and CUNY and eliminating 3,000 positions through consolidation.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The Legislature should take all possible actions to reduce the size of the State’s workforce.
By examining the root causes of high growth in employment in key agencies, such as SUNY, CUNY and the judiciary, the state should contain workforce growth without damaging core services.
The state should eliminate 3,000 positions through agency consolidations and the development of shared services in areas like financial management and human resources.
If the size of agency workforces were brought down to fiscal year 2006-07 levels, the state could achieve savings of $283 million per year.
Key Data
13,000
— Number of employees in fiscal year 2009-10 that remains higher than the level at the end of fiscal year 2003-04.
3,000
— Number of positions the Governor proposes to eliminate through agency consolidations and shared services.
$283 million
— Annual savings that would be achieved if agency workforces were reduced to fiscal year 2006-07 levels.
Between fiscal years 2000 and 2008, the number of full-time New York City employees grew from 273,776 to 280,649. During this same period, the average total compensation cost per employee rose by 63 percent, reaching $106,743 in fiscal year 2008.
Key Data
273,776
— Number of full-time New York City employees in fiscal year 2000.
280,649
— Number of full-time New York City employees in fiscal year 2008.
6,873
— Total increase in the number of full-time employees between fiscal years 2000 and 2008.
3%
— Total percent change in the number of full-time employees from fiscal year 2000 to 2008.
0.3%
— Average annual change in the number of full-time employees between fiscal years 2000 and 2008.
New York's prison system is currently overstaffed and underutilized, with inmate populations declining significantly since 1999 while correctional facility staffing levels have remained largely stagnant. Closing unneeded facilities and aligning the prison infrastructure with current population needs could save the state nearly $300 million annually.
Recommendations related to Headcount
Unneeded facilities should be closed and used for other purposes.
The number of correctional officers can be reduced to better align with the declining prison population.
New York can save nearly $300 million a year by fitting the size of the prison infrastructure to the population it serves.
The state should develop more effective and appropriate alternatives to incarceration for drug offenders to further reduce the prison population.
Key Data
9,000
— The state's inmate population has gone down by this amount since the peak in 1999.
500
— The number of correctional officers employed by the state has dropped by this amount, or less than 2 percent.
13 percent
— The total prison population has dropped by this percentage.
1,316
— The number of beds by which the state plans to shrink the prison system over several years.
$57,000
— The annual cost of keeping one person in the custody of the prison system, including debt service and fringe benefits.
$3.6 billion
— The annual operating cost of the entire prison system.
New York State should reduce the size of its public workforce through productivity gains to help curb spending and close looming budget gaps. Negotiating contracts that result in a smaller, better-paid workforce would serve the public interest while addressing the state's fiscal challenges.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The state should reduce the size of its workforce through productivity gains to curb spending.
State officials should pursue negotiations that result in a smaller, better-paid workforce to serve the public interest and help close multibillion-dollar budget gaps.
New York State's fiscal crisis, exacerbated by a hiring freeze intended to reduce the Executive branch headcount by 10,000, requires a comprehensive multi-year plan to align spending with recurring revenues. Rather than relying on short-term borrowing, the state should prioritize productivity improvements, such as increasing work hours and reforming pension benefits, to achieve sustainable budget balance.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The State should implement a multi-year plan that includes larger cuts in State operations and emphasizes productivity gains to reduce headcount.
Collective bargaining should be used to enhance labor productivity, such as increasing the hours for employees currently on a 37.5-hour workweek to 40 hours.
The State should add a Tier V to the pension system with a reduced benefit package to help curb future pension obligations.
Key Data
10,000
— The expected reduction in Executive branch headcount from November 2001 to March 2004.
186,000
— The projected Executive branch headcount at the end of March 2004.
128,000
— The number of employees represented by the Public Employees Federation and Civil Service Employees Association.
2 percent
— The average annual productivity gains in the private sector in recent years.
$250 million
— The estimated annual savings from a 2 percent productivity gain in State operations.
$750 million
— The estimated savings over a three-year plan from a 2 percent productivity gain in State operations.
New York City's municipal workforce grew by 14,000 employees between 1997 and 2000, and despite recent reductions, employment remains 10,700 higher than it was six years ago. To address budget gaps, the city should implement a 40-hour work week for 80,000 civilian employees to save $498 million annually and reassign up to 2,300 police officers to civilian roles to improve efficiency.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should require all civilian employees not currently working a 40-hour week to do so, which would allow for the elimination of about 8,500 positions.
The City should reassign police officers from jobs better done by civilians to law enforcement duties, as 1,600 to 2,300 officers currently fill positions that could be staffed by civilians.
For civilian workers in job titles with few incumbents, the shift to a 40-hour week should be accompanied by sharing of work across agencies and combining tasks to achieve full savings.
The City should relocate civilian employees at smaller locations to more concentrated offices or have them divide their time among two or more locations to facilitate task sharing.
Key Data
14,000
— The number of full-time City employees that were added to the payroll from the end of fiscal year 1996-97 to June of 2000.
10,700
— The number of additional full-time City employees on the payroll compared to six years prior.
80,000
— The number of non-managerial civilian employees in the City of New York.
8,500
— The number of positions that could be eliminated if all civilian employees were required to work a 40-hour week.
2,300
— The upper estimate of police officers currently filling positions that could be staffed by civilians.
The City of New York could save approximately $498 million annually by increasing the workweek for 80,000 non-managerial civilian employees from 35 to 40 hours. This policy change would allow for the elimination of roughly 8,500 positions while maintaining current service levels through work redistribution and broad-banding.
Recommendations related to Headcount
This report recommends that those civilians not working a 40-hour week be required to do so.
For these workers the shift to a 40-hour week should be accompanied by the sharing of work across agencies and combining tasks now limited to narrowly defined job descriptions, known as 'broad-banding.'
For those at the smaller locations, the shift to a 40-hour week should be accompanied by relocation to more concentrated offices or dividing time among two or more locations.
Peak-hour demand would be more efficiently met by increasing part-time staff during the peak periods.
Key Data
80,000
— Number of non-managerial civilian employees out of nearly 250,000 full-time City of New York workers.
8,500
— Number of positions that could be eliminated if all non-managerial civilian employees worked a 40-hour week.
$498 million
— Estimated annual savings to the City from shifting non-managerial civilian employees to a 40-hour workweek.
$58,000
— Average savings per worker, including salary, fringe benefits, and space costs, achieved by eliminating a position.
7 percent
— Portion of non-managerial civilian workers in job titles with less than eight incumbents in the same agency.
New York City's municipal workforce underwent significant changes, including a reduction of 9,359 civilian workers between fiscal years 1994 and 1996. Current negotiations aim to address staffing levels, such as the Fire Department's engine company staffing, to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Recommendations related to Headcount
The City should pair companies in neighboring firehouses with low workloads to reduce staff needs by 285 positions.
The City should eliminate the unnecessary fifth firefighter on 66 engine companies to save $19 million annually.
The City should reduce the number of supervisory officers by one-third to bring the line to supervisor ratio to 5.5:1.
The City should civilianize 1,610 positions in the Police Department to achieve a savings of $48.5 million annually.
The City should increase the librarians’ workweek to 40 hours to maintain current service levels with 75 fewer librarians.
Key Data
9,359
— Number of civilian workers reduced between fiscal years 1994 and 1996.
1,610
— Number of positions in the Police Department that could be civilianized.
285
— Number of staff positions that could be reduced by pairing fire companies with low workloads.
75
— Number of fewer librarians needed if the workweek were increased to 40 hours.
66
— Number of engine companies currently staffed by five firefighters.
137
— Number of engine companies currently staffed by four firefighters.
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