Tulsa HR reports hiring gains but flags hard-to-fill city jobs as budget talks continue

City of Tulsa personnel officials told the budget and special projects committee Wednesday that the city gained a net 62 non‑sworn employees over the past 12 months but still runs roughly 80 to 200 vacancies and faces difficulty filling technical and professional roles.

Erica Felix Warwick, personnel director for the City of Tulsa, said the figure reflects bodies actively working in city jobs rather than authorized positions. “Over that 12 month period we have had a net gain of 62, employees over that period of time,” Warwick said, noting April represented the 12‑month high point.

Warwick told councilors the city recorded 420 externally recruited non‑sworn hires during the year and averages 16 to 20 new hires at each biweekly orientation. She described a shift in recruiting strategy away from large career expos toward smaller, job‑specific events held at city locations, and said those events include on‑site application intake and interviews: “When we do these city sponsored, specific small, on‑site events, we do. We'll ask supervisors from the area to be on‑site. We have our recruiters on‑site. We have computers…