DAS outlines new equal-pay methodology, reports pay adjustments for thousands of state workers

Jessica Nieling, chief human resources officer for the executive branch, told the Joint Committee on Ways & Means Subcommittee on General Government on Jan. 29, 2025, that the Department of Administrative Services implemented a new equal-pay methodology on June 1, 2024 intended to narrow persistent wage gaps and increase transparency in how the state determines pay.

Nieling said the executive branch has conducted three cycles of equal-pay analysis since the Equal Pay Act was enacted (House Bill 2005, enacted in 2017 and operative in 2019). She described the new methodology as retaining the same three statutory factors — seniority, education and experience — but changing how education and outside experience are credited, removing prior hiring caps, and making the calculation more transparent to employees.

"We still use the same 3 factors, seniority, education, and experience," Nieling said. She explained the key changes: seniority remains one step per year of state service; outside experience now counts at the same rate for all job…