The City of Los Angeles is facing challenges in hiring workers for its public services.
“Public services are getting slower and slower, and we’re about 16 percent understaffed,” said Mayor Karen Bass at a citywide job fair on November 2. The city’s government, with a workforce meant to be 42,000 strong, is operating with a shortfall of more than 7,000 employees.
The LA International Airport workforce is 20 percent understaffed, the Department of Building and Safety is at an 18 percent deficit, the Department of Water and Power is 17 percent short, and the Police Department is lacking 16 percent of its intended workforce.
Despite hosting multiple job fairs at large venues to attract applicants, the efforts have seen limited success.
When Mayor Bass assumed office late last year, she requested that the executive directors from her predecessor’s term remain until April of the following year.
Coming from a nonprofit background and having served in the House of Representatives, she acknowledged needing time to bring the city’s staffing up to full capacity. Since then, some executive directors and secretarial staff have been hired, but positions for hands-on professionals, field staff, and technical experts are still vacant.
Citizens are expressing concern, with some noting, “While relief for the homeless is important, the ongoing shortage in public services could lead to a major disaster.” It has also been highlighted that the relatively non-competitive salaries in key departments are a barrier to recruitment.
Although city government jobs offer more stability than private sector positions, they are less appealing because the starting salaries are, on average, 10 to 20 percent lower. Additionally, police departments and prosecutors’ offices are experiencing a wave of retirements, compounding the difficulty in finding recruits.
BY BRIAN CHOI [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
