Today, Ana Champeny will testify before the New York City Council that the cause of current staffing shortage in some units is not a lack of authorized headcount—the City has over 28,000 vacant positions—but rather the result of management, procedural, and labor market challenges. The City can and should significantly reduce the number of authorized vacant positions without impeding its ability to provide high-quality efficient services, but it also should strategically fill some currently vacant positions in agencies and units that are currently unable to deliver the volume and quality of service that New Yorkers rightly expect. 

Given these challenges, the City should:

1. Move available positions to where they are needed and be nimble in reallocation; 
2. Improve and speed up hiring processes and procedures; 
3. Institute policies to increase retention of high-performing employees;
4. Modernize civil service and job paths to increase the attractiveness of public sector employment; and 
5. Report transparently on vacancies, hires, separations, and promotions.