TEXAS PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION MAKES URGENT CALL FOR STATE OF TEXAS LEADERS TO SLOW EMPLOYEE TURNOVER

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the recent release of the State Auditor's report on turnover in the state workforce in FY 2022, Texas Public Employees Association is sounding an urgent alarm and calling on state leaders to take aggressive steps to slow down employee turnover and stabilize the state workforce.

The Texas State Auditor's Office released its annual report on employee turnover on December 12. The report showed aggregate turnover had risen to a shocking 22.7 percent in FY 2022, which ended on August 31, 2022. Turnover in the prior year of 2021 was already the highest on record at 21.5 percent. Turnover at this level undermines the ability of many state agencies to maintain quality services for the people of Texas. State employees maintain public safety, they serve and support vulnerable populations, and they develop and maintain infrastructure and other systems that are vital to the Texas economy.

"Turnover at these levels is unsustainable, financially wasteful and seriously undermines the ability of state agencies to continue providing quality state services on behalf of the people of Texas", said Ann Bishop, Executive Director of the Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA). "TPEA has been testifying about the severity of this problem during budget hearings leading up to the 2023 legislative session. The 2022 State Auditor's Report on State Employee Turnover confirms how dire the turnover problem is and adds even more urgency to the need for significant legislative action."

TPEA is working with state leaders to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing runaway employee turnover. The centerpiece of the TPEA plan is significant increases in state employee compensation to combat turnover and stabilize the state workforce. State pay is estimated to be more than 20 percent lower than what other private and employers pay for comparable work. The legislature hasn't provided a general pay raise since 2014 and the purchasing power of state pay has been seriously eroded.

About The Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA):

Founded in 1946, TPEA is the largest association for active and retired state employees and is focused on promoting and preserving the salaries and quality benefits enjoyed by hardworking state employees who are essential to the health and functionality of our state. For more information, visit www.tpea.org/.

SOURCE Texas Public Employees Association