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HR Employment Services reports higher applications, lower vacancy rate; expands online testing and apprenticeship programs
Summary
San Joaquin County employment services reported an 8% increase in applications from 2023 to 2024, a drop in the vacancy rate from 14.76% to 13.3%, a shift in applicant composition, and expanded online exams and an incumbent apprenticeship in behavioral health.
At the May 7 EEOAC meeting, Nicole Devincenzi, principal personnel analyst in San Joaquin County Human Resources, presented Employment Services' work on recruitment, applicant trends, testing and outreach.
Devincenzi said the county received 8% more applications in 2024 than in 2023 and that the county's vacancy rate improved from 14.76% at the end of 2023 to 13.3% currently. She said the county has transitioned examinations to an online format to speed scoring and allow candidates greater convenience. For bilingual positions candidates may take remote video exams via Microsoft Teams; HR provides in-office testing space for candidates who need accommodations.
On applicant composition, Devincenzi said 2024 showed a 2-percentage-point decline in applications from Hispanic or Latino applicants and a shift in gender distribution with fewer female applicants and an increase in male applicants. She told the committee the EEO plan's enhanced demographic data collection will help target outreach to underrepresented groups.
Separations and apprenticeship programs: Devincenzi reported that separations in calendar year 2024 were primarily voluntary resignations, retirements and releases during probation, which together accounted for about 73% of separations. The employment services unit is emphasizing branding, social media outreach, participation in community job fairs and partnerships with CareerInGovernment and other local partners. She highlighted an incumbent apprenticeship program currently active in behavioral health services as a model for building internal career pathways.
Data requests and follow-up: Committee members asked whether separation reasons and probation release data could be broken down by department and classification. Devincenzi said those reports are available and staff can provide further breakdowns.
Ending: HR said it plans to expand outreach, refine applicant and separation data collection and pursue targeted recruitment strategies for underrepresented groups; staff will return with additional data when available.
