State civil service outlines hiring push: extend New York Helps, open testing centers, waive fees

State Senator Robert Jackson, chair of the New York State Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee, opened the committee’s first meeting of the 2025 session by hearing a presentation from Tim Hoag, president of the New York State Civil Service Commission and commissioner of the Department of Civil Service. Hoag described a package of hiring and modernization measures the department says are intended to increase access to state jobs and improve retention.

The department asked the commission to extend the temporary New York Helps hiring program through June 2026 and described other steps to broaden access to state employment. “It’s easier than ever for individuals to get a job at New York State. Now now is the time to to apply,” Hoag said. He told the committee the program allowed “more than 23,000 individuals to be appointed at the state level and approximately 6,000 individuals to to be appointed at local government agencies.”

Why it matters: Committee members said the measures aim to reduce barriers that keep applicants from taking or completing civil service exams and to strengthen the pipeline of public employees. The presentation tied outreach, reduced fees and more flexible qualification rules to broader state goals of rebuilding the government workforce.

Details of the department’s plan and progress

- New York Helps. Hoag said the New York Helps program — a temporary policy that reduces the weight of entrance exams for many positions — launched in February 2023 and was expanded in February 2024. The department is seeking approval from the New York State Civil Service Commission to extend the program through June 2026.

- Waived exam fees and marketing. Hoag said exam fees have been waived through 2025 and the administration proposes extending that relief through June 2026. The department ran a bilingual marketing campaign (English and Spanish) to promote opportunities and reported a high contact rate with adults over 18.

- Computer-based testing centers. Hoag said the department will open nine computer-based testing centers by the end of 2025 — naming Syracuse; Cohoes; Buffalo; Rochester; Long Island; Binghamton; Newburgh; New York City; and Utica — and expects to have 12 centers by the end of 2026, adding another New York City site, one in the North Country and an additional Capital Region site.

- Substituting experience for degrees. The department is developing policies to substitute relevant work experience for college degrees “where appropriate,” to increase access for applicants whose average age of entry into state service is 37, Hoag said.

- Benefits, contracts and cost savings. Hoag said NYSHIP covers more than 1.2 million members and reported no increase in night shift rates for 2025 under the Empire Plan after rebidding the pharmacy benefit manager contract to CVS Health. He said the new five-year PBM agreement is “estimated to save more than $600,000,000 annually.”

- Career centers and technology. The department opened the first Center for Careers in Government in the Capital Region in September, with nine additional locations since then. Hoag said staff work with the state Department of Labor to provide services to job seekers. He also said the department plans a customer-friendly job portal and applicant management system.

- Pay study and strategic plan. The department recently engaged Deloitte to conduct a comprehensive study of cash and non-cash compensation and benefits. Hoag said the study, which he said kicked off the prior week, will recommend ways to keep salaries competitive. He also described a strategic planning process that will include outreach to local governments, state agencies, unions and elected officials.

Committee reaction and next steps

Committee members praised the testing centers, fee waivers and outreach. Ranking member Alexis Wike (recorded in the transcript as the ranking member) and other senators said modernizing testing and expanding access were long-standing concerns. Jackson said the committee will move forward with its agenda for the session and thanked the department and its staff for their work. Hoag told the public they can apply directly at statejobs.ny.gov.

Ending

The committee did not take formal action on the department’s requests during the meeting; Hoag’s presentation focused on program updates and policy proposals the department said it will pursue with the Civil Service Commission and with legislative and executive partners.