DHRM reports modest workforce growth, stable health‑insurance fund; procurement underway for self‑insured plans

Janet Lawson, director of the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, told the Tarver subcommittee that the Commonwealth workforce numbered about 136,955 employees at the end of fiscal‑year 2024 and that classified employees totaled 56,917.

Lawson said vacancy and turnover rates increased about two percentage points over the prior fiscal year but remained within expected ranges; promotions and transfers rose about 15% year over year. She reported pay increases totaling roughly 15% since 2022 — a combination of multiple adjustments (5% July 2022, 2% December 2022, 5% June 2023 and 3% June 2024) — and said those increases have reduced the average salary lag versus the private sector from roughly 25% a decade ago to about 13% as of the last biennial compensation report.

On compensation policy, Lawson said the Commonwealth projects a 3%…