Salinas HR presents year of vacancy data, outlines recruitment and retention measures

Human resources managers told the Salinas City Council on May 27 that new state law requires annual public reporting of vacancies and that the city’s 2024 vacancy data capture covers Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2024.

The report said Salinas ended calendar year 2024 with 88 active vacancies (including frozen/over‑hire slots) and a citywide authorized full‑time workforce of 650 (669 by December including newly budgeted positions and temporary classifications). Human resources described the recruitment lifecycle — requisition, job description review and meet‑and‑confer for bargaining units, posting, screening, written/skills exams, oral board, eligibility list, conditional offer and pre‑placement checks — and warned that each step adds time to the process.

City HR managers Patricia Penaloza and Sylvia Henriquez told the council the department ran 96 recruitments in 2024, filling 144 vacancies during the year through a mix of continuous eligible lists, open recruitments and promotions. HR flagged three bargaining units above 20% vacancy in 2024: Association of Management Personnel (AMPS), department directors and the Police Managers Association. AMPS reported 562 applications, 17 vacancies filled and 22 remaining; the average time to fill AMPS vacancies was reported at about 91 days, with some recruitments taking longer when open to the public.

HR identified the usual hiring constraints: limited applicant pools for certified/specialized roles (engineers, inspectors, IT, public safety), lengthy background and pre‑placement checks, candidates withdrawing late for relocation or cost‑of‑living reasons, and increasing demand for remote/hybrid work. The presentation listed recruitment and retention incentives already in use: $20,000 for police recruits, $40,000 for police laterals, $7,000 for police service technicians and $20,000 for senior civil engineers (amounts as reported by HR). Managers said roughly 15% of the workforce is eligible for retirement now; 38% were hired in the last five years.

Human resources proposed continuing annual AB 2561 (assembly bill 25 61) reporting at the start of each calendar year, expanding outreach and branding for HR (a dedicated HR social presence), interview workshops, classification and compensation studies for hard‑to‑fill classes, and continued use of targeted hiring incentives. Council members asked HR to report back with granular figures for particular units and to explore more public information for applicants about local cost of living.

The HR presentation and council discussion did not include any vote or policy change; staff said implementation of specific incentive or classification proposals would return for council consideration with cost details.

Ending: Council thanked HR for the report and requested follow‑up materials showing unit‑level vacancy lists, time‑to‑fill details and a clearer accounting of incentive budgets and outcomes.