Alaska Public Employees Association

Alaska Public Employees Association/AFT Web Site

Supervisory Unit 2007 Negotiating Survey Results

7. Have you had difficulty recruiting QUALIFIED employees, and retaining employees you supervise? Please explain.
#	Response

1	yes - due to low pay, declining benefit package.
2	No, small office,long term employees.
3	Yes, good and qualified employees are hard to recruit/retain because of low wages and benefits.
4	Yes, I get much fewer applicants than in the past and I notice that most are just moving from one state job to another which perpetuates the problem.
5	yes, lost 3 staff this year, very hard to find qualified replacments
6	yes, because we can't comete with other agencies or the public sector with the salary scales we offer
7	Yes, I understand that administrative clerk positions are an entry level position, but keeping employees past the 3 month mark it tough, due to the salary.
8	Extremely frustrating time. I've been recruit for an Administrative Assistant since August. The position has been filled twice, on for 3 months and the second for 3 weeks. Prior to the first recruitment I had advertised the position for a little over 3 months and only received 4 qualified applicants. The second time on 3 applicant applied and 2 withdrew interest. I have also been recruiting for an Accountant II since the late October. I've had a total of 3 applicant, none that meet the MQ's.
9	Admin Clerk II positions are nearly impossible to fill. If they are filled the employee immediately starts looking for another position with a higher range. The dispatch positions have received as few as 5 applicants, most just looking for a State job, not truly interested in dispatch.
10	Yes. I supervise 3 engineering positions. Finding qualified engineers to fill vacancies is extremely difficult because the State is not competitive to the private sector in this career field.
11	yes, we have had two open PCN's that we have not been able to recruit for since Aug. 2006
12	I only supervise 1 SU employee and I have not had difficulty retaining her.
13	No
14	Yes. Particularly clerical/technical. Either the applicant pool is poor, or the best people leave right away for promotions.
15	Yes - pay and benefits are not competitive.
16	Yes.
17	Yes, in serveral instances.
18	I have had problems with both. I have not been permitted to go out of state to fulfill my needs.
19	I do everything I can to keep the qualified employees I have so I do not have to recruit. The people willing to do our jobs at the salary benefits available are generally unsatisfactory or lack experience.
20	Yes I have. For the positions in my department and the duties for which these position need to complete, they are well under paid. Our unit procures supplies for three Youth Facilities and six Probation offices everything from office supplies to clothing,equipment,personal items,professional service contracts, dental supplies,medical supplies,housekeeping supplies, phone services, safety equipment(handcuffs,ballistic vests,handheld radios),furniture, bedding. All for a secured facility. The two employees below me are a range 10 and range 8. In my opinion these are well below what duties they do on a daily basis.
21	Yes, the pay range is not compensatory for the amount of work, level of knowledge needed to complete the Eligibility Technician and Administrative Clerk work.
22	yes
23	Yes, very few applicants applied and we had to recruit three times just to get a qualified applicant.
24	No.
25	Yes we have had difficulty recruiting and retaining employees. Part of the issue is moral is often low at our agency. Other issues is employees often leave to the private sector because they can make more money than with the state.
26	Yes, again non-competitive pay coupled with higher cost of living in Alaska has brought us to a near crisis (it we aren't already there) level of competent staffing within the Analyst/Programmer line of work. It is almost impossible to hire a competent Analyst/Programmer due to current wage levels and the newest tier of retirement. Between those two component I've found it pretty much impossible to meet my staffing needs.
27	Yes
28	extreme difficulty, especially in retaining people - will get worse.
29	n/a
30	Yes. Frequently recruitments result in one or two candidates.
31	Impossible to hire qualified programmers or even get applications submitted. Very little options on research analysts as well.
32	In the professional classes, it is very difficult to attract seasoned veterans... (i.e., accountants, financial analysts, budget specialists, taxation specialists etc.... people can make more elsewhere so the applicants are usually entry-level calibre.
33	Yes, the applicants we get now are ones that can't make it in the private sector. The good ones are getting the jobs as the private sector offers better benefits and pay.
34	Constant problem for the Troopers.
35	Absolutely. I had to reopen one recruitment three times. In the past two years several people had quit.
36	YES, we have had a number of administrative positions open this year,and finding people is extremely difficult. For one, there are a lot of folks with criminal background that prevents them from having access to personal information or credit card numbers. Basic administrative skills such as grammar and business etiquette are lacking.
37	Slightly, we often do not have money in the budget to extend seasonal employees in the winter months to help with report writing, attending meetings, and giving support to the management team.
38	YES!, repeatedly had difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified and dependable applicants. By the time you find a qualified and dependable employee, provide training, the new employee has received additional skills and qualifications to transfer to another higher paying position. Skills and dependability which are desirable are not reflected in salary range for the position or to retain employemee loyalty to retain their current position.
39	Yes. Can't compete with the private secture on salary.
40	YES!!! Recruiting qualified employees is VERY difficult, especially in this union and at the higher ranges. Why be a member of this union when you can be the same range in GGU and get paid more???
41	Not recently.
42	yes, we still can't recruit Nurses in corrections, not enought pay and benefits.
43	Yes. But most times seasonal personnel always turn over at greater rates then typical long term jobs.
44	Not yet but perhaps will soon, if a particular SU position becomes vacant.
45	No.
46	Yes. The hiring pool is shallow and appears to be getting shallower. The wages no longer attract people to human service positions, while the social issues and challenges get more complex every year. Sooner or later we are going to be in a costly fiscal crisis due to liabilities associated with understaffing and underqualified staff [as the MQs get watered down in response to the need to recruit]. Retention appears to be tied to wages and benefits, particularly in cost of living when one can move south and get an increase in wages and a decrease in cost of living in many domains.
47	I have seen very low applicant turnout on full time and part time positions. The general public is fully aware of the poor pay standing and benefit problems evident in the state's system.
48	Yes, it is very hard to find qualified folks to work. Especially in the entry level positions.
49	Yes! I have 2 supervisory positions in Juneau that due to salary/benefit packages have been difficult to fill for years. In general, I have a difficulty filling Eligibility Technicians and Admin Clerk position because there are more jobs in Juneau and people transfer frequently. ET work requires up to 2 yrs of training and the investment is high and the return is low.
50	No. Most of the people I hire are at the technician level. Problems seem to be at higher level positions.
51	Yes!!! No one qualified will work the current wages and benefits!
52	YES! Cannot attract qualified Systems people for salaries offered. Most good ones can go down south and get substancially more.
53	Yes, especially at the FWT II level where wage is a primary reason for working the summer season, we just can't compete with similar outdoor jobs like forest crew work, surveying, etc. Especially when some remote projects are actually on e.g Fairbanks scale- it makes no sense.
54	Yes. The applicant pool has gotten worse in the last two years for all of the positions I have recruited for. Retention is a problem because once they get enough experience, they move on, and the cycle starts all over again. Adjustments to the salary schedule might help to retain qualified personnel.
55	yes
56	No
57	Yes,because they can get jobs in the private sector in Real Estate and make big bucks with benefits that are now better than the state.
58	Yes. Until the nurse raise we could not even get an applicant, let alone a qualified one. The only reason we retain nurses is that they are older and do not want to give up the "perks" of day shift, etc. if they moved to another job.
59	Poor quality of applicants. AMHS expects allot of its employees and has allot of competition for their talents. Those we do have are typically good.
60	I am relatively new to my position but recruitment in our office has been dificult with one or sometimes two applicants applying.
61	Yes, recruitment results in only 1 or 2 qualified applicants, if that.
62	Yes. It is rediculous, trying to find qualified individuals who will work for less than what they can make in the private sector. So, I end up settling on someone who hasn't worked in state government before, or inherit a position filled with someone out of highschool who is clueless. Clearly we need better salaries to attract better qualified workers.
63	No
64	No, but I anticipate problems with recruitment when I have to replace a retiring employee next year. I plan to address that problem by stealing a Tier III employee from another section of the Department.
65	Yes - specifically programming
66	Yes! Retention is definitely an issue. High turn around and heavy workloads to make up for vacancies along with poor pay compared to private sector salaries creates many vacancies.
67	I've noticed a steady decline in applicants for postions within ADF&G. I don't think this is due to fewer qualified applicants, but rather the state's inability to recruit them. Additionally the state's retire/rehire practices are in my opinion limiting the ability to recruit young and well qualified employees. Why are we overlooking our future workforce in exchange for a few more years of service from existing employees?
68	I have not - there are seldom any openings for Administrative Clerks in our office. However our Biologists deal with this every hiring season and it is getting harder and harder to fill our summer positions each year.
69	I have had difficulty recruiting Analyst/Programmers. I currently have a vacant A/P III that I have tried twice to fill. The first time there were no qualified candidates. The second had only two qualified candidates making it through to the interview process. One accepted another job prior to the interview and one did not have the requested experience.
70	It has been extremely difficult to fill entry and lower level accounting positions over that last couple of years. The state has continued to decrease benefits to employees. We even had a candidate decline a position because a company operating as a local pawn shop offered better health and retirement benefits. Now, the state is considering lowering the minimum requirements for accounting clerks and accounting technicians. Lowering the MQs is only going to give a larger pool of candidates with little or no knowledge or skills for these entry level positions. The quality of work performed is going to be severly impacted.
71	Yes, I have two job openings that have been in workplace for almost nine months.
72	I feel the current approach to even attracting qualified employees is inefficient. Good candidates simply decide they can find more lucrative employment without having to be put through all the barriers.
73	I have seen a marked decline in the responses to recuritments placed on Workplace Alaska.
74	Yes, huge turnover. They leave for other less stressful jobs.
75	yes, no one wants to come in on Tier IV
76	Yes! Low pay and poor retirment benefits.
77	Yes. Recruitment of qualified seasonal employees is difficult due to wage competition from private sector.
78	Applicant pools are smaller. Tier III and IV employees have less encentive to stay with state employment. Federal positions with similar duties pay 40% more and work loads are reported to be much lighter.
79	Yes, I have had only 1 applicant for the last several SU hirings I've done.
80	Yes, Adult Probation Officer pay is about 15-20 % lower than other law enforcement, example Troopers- Airport Police/Fire
81	Yes. We are stretching to meet qulaified people for the jobs. Many are opting for the private sector because the pay is so much more and the benefits about the same.
82	Yes, not a lot of people applied for the position because they are currently earning more than what is offerred. We end up recruiting only those new and less experienced employees.
83	No.
84	Not really.
85	Yes, every time we recruit to fill a positon, this has been twice for me. Very few qualified applicants, may need to broaden the minimum qualifications on some job classes just to get enough people to apply for the position.
86	No, everyone I supervise is in a different bargaining unit that has had decent pay increases and are allowed to work OT, and all make more money then I do.
87	It is hard to hire employees accross the board. Many people in the private sector say there pay and benefits are better in every way. This cuts out a major source in the hiring pool.
88	yes, incompatible wages and benefits
89	Yes, the difficulty has been, and continues to be, in the recruitment of qualified engineering staff. This is supported by the "supply and demand" scenario. Engineers are in great demand, there are fewer engineers available, and will command higher saleries. We have had no problem filling supervisory or midlevel management positions.
90	Yes, employees either do not want to promote to upper level positions because of the difficulty of the work or lack of pay.
91	yes, it has been difficult.
92	It's tough to recruit qualified employees, and if you are able to recruit "from outside" state government, NO training opportunities are provided by the state, e.g. AKSAS training.
93	Yes - I am curently reqruiting for a Geologist III position and received only 4-applications for the position.
94	Yes, at best I get new employees who have noe real skills
95	Yes, very few qualified applicants are applying for supervisory positions. Supervisors who have not worked for my dept/division for over 10 years are leaving.
96	Yes to both recruiting and retaining. I have lost one person I supervise, and one person I trained. One person took a position in another state agency and the second one got a large increase in pay to move to the private sector. Both of these two positions were range 14. I was very luckey and able to find one good person to fill my one range 14 position. One reasons for wanting to work for the State was because his mother was a retired State worker. He was able to start as a tier 3, and has a BA Degree. As I remember he was the only one with a degree that applied. I would expect him to go far if he stayes with the state or wherever he works.
97	yes. I work for DPA. We cannot hire and retain clerks because the pay is so low. We also have trouble hiring and retaining Eligibility Technicians because the pay is too low and the job is extremely difficutl. The State fails to recognize the difficulty of this very technical job. The work load for supervisors increases as a result of lack of competent staff or lack of staff that stick around because they can get better paying jobs with less stress and workload.
98	very hard time recruiting and keeping employees in the Social Worker job class
99	Yes. Advertising several months for an Engineer I and having zero applicants.
100	Currently, in the Matsu valley, there is no shortage of qualified applicants.
101	It appears that the ranges and salaries at the state have not kept up with the needs of the workforce to maintain a standard of living. We have great difficulty recruiting in my department and have at least two positions that have been vacant for at least three months. I am not sure if the whole PERS thing has factored in or not.
102	Yes. Applicants are no longer as experienced and qualified as they once were. Many individuals are waiting to transition to the private sector - leading to non-continuity of service...
103	yes. Just a dearth of engineers.
104	Have been trying to get qualified applicants to fill a position and out of 20 applicants nly 2 were "qualified" for the position. In this field a lot of the employees have been recruited by the Federal Social Sercurity Administration, better wages and benefits.
105	Yes, low wages and new 401 K retirement plan ensures I am getting novice employees looking for training before they can move on to higher paying federal or private sector jobs.
106
107	yes.
108	Yes! I have hired two (2) Administrative Assistants over the past two years who were the most qualified individuals. However, it has been my experieince that the individuals hired ony want to answer phones and greet the public. They do not want to perform other duites associated with their job descriptions such as typing.
109	It has been difficult recruiting qualified engineering employees as they can get better pay and benefits elsewhere. In some cases, we do not even get applicants for some of the mid range positions.
110	Yes, it is almost impossible to promote from within because employees do not want to promote from Local 71 to SU do to lack of pay and overtime.
111	Not so much trouble in getting employees, but hard to keep them. Pay in the private section and other job classes in the state system that pay more than we do (GGU) attracts people away from us. Also other clerical positions that recently were upgraded (to Admin Clerk III) may entice our lower level clerks (Admin Clerk II) away from us to them.
112	Yes. It has been incredibly difficult to find more than a handful of candidates (usually 2-3) who would even bother to apply for Biologist positions with Fish and Game. With pending retirements slated to occur in the next several years and the newly adopted "Tier 4" salary and benefits package it will be a ludicrious joke working through the recruitment and hiring process! In the past 4 months we lost our Program Technician to retirement and the top 4 canditates declined the job offer (6 total qualified) as the pay and benefits package was not competitive with the local hospital or the Safeway grocery store.
113	Absolutely, we usually need to preform three solicitations for a position before finding a minimally qulaified applicant. Why? Defined Contributions, tier IV is so stupid. In this day people who want to work for the SOA want defined benefits, good leave, and good insurance. Pay is much better in the priavte sector. Without defined benefits people have no desire to work for the SOA.
114	Hiring at a lesser pay is not good for getting qualified personell.
115	Yes. Very few people apply anymore. Wages are not better than private sector.
116	Yes, my staff comes from LTC, very difficult to get qualified help.
117	Yes - 95% of the people I hire move on to other jobs because of pay and how much they have to pay for medical benefits.
118	Yes. PERS Tier IV has decreased applicants for several recruitments.
119	Yes, clerks cannot live on their wage. It can only be counted as a supplementary salary.
120	N/A
121	The desirable location of my office makes this no problem, and I only supervise one employee.
122	We have had extreme difficulty due to the Tier IV benefit package. We are not competitive in benefits or pay due to housing, fuel, gasoline, and other cost of living items for owners. Insufficient housing in Juneua for families is a serious problem.
123	Yes. SOA wages are no longer competitive to the private sector or federal agencies.
124	YES...THE STATE IS NOT COMPETITIVE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
125	Yes. We're running out of people who want to promote from within. Without those individuals, we are hiring people who do not have all the desired qualifications we need for model employees. We're going after "good enough" and it is taking it's toll on workload and service.
126	yes; sense of entitlement in young people sometimes negates responsibility and work ethic.
127	YES, in the past 1.5 years I have went through 6 employee.
128	I've been in my position just two years and have not had a vacancy. I do not feel that the South Central Region for OCS has a retention problem, in general, but am concerned that I may not have an adequate pool of qualified applicants when it comes time to hire, based on my experience helping other offices hire and how long, and how many postings, it took to find someone qualified.
129	NO. Never! There's a huge workforce out there of highly motivated and experienced professionals. This stuff I hear about hard to recruit and retain valuable employees because the wages are low is total rhetorical fantasy. Has anyone stopped to consider that maybe its not about pay, and instead how the State government treats its employees?
130	yes - salary and retirement package now below market. Either recognize that government is not business and compensate along standard retirement lines or raise salary and benefits to be comparable to comparable private sector work.
131	Yes. As hiring manager for many position I find the technical and managerial ones difficult to fill. Some are not classed accurately but most do not offer adequate compensation for the duties.
132	I have not had any problems within my department, but as I do the HR functions at my work place, I have had difficulty recruiting for Environmental Services, Food Services and nursing employees.
133	Not where I work.
134	Yes Pay to low for like jobs in the USFS sector
135	Yes. OCS has had difficulty due to licensing laws regarding SW degreed/titled individuals. The pay for this type of work has not kept up with the rest of what outside agencies can offer. People leave for more money and less stress.
136	Yes. The range for some employees is not competitive with non state jobs. We get low qualifying applicants to interview
137	I am new, but have seen this all Over the state system
138	Yes it has been very difficult to get and keep qualified employees.
139	Yes. Juneau cost of living results in insufficient candidate pools for posted job openings.
140	Yes. In my program I need highly skilled professionals with advanced degrees in science. Few stay more than a few years, because they get an automatic 50% pay increase if they go to work for industry. We are like a training mill.
141	I haven't had to recruit. My Tier III employees are sticking around but need larger pay increases to hold them much longer.
142	No, only because I have very little turn over in my section, however, I have heard other supervisors complain about the lack of applicants
143	Ofcourse.
144	Yes; extremely difficult.
145	Tier IV, yes
146	YES. WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE 2 PERSONS ON A RECRUITMENT REGISTER, AND OFTEN NEED TO REOPEN RECRUITMENTS. THERE IS LITTLE TO ENTICE NEW PROFESSIONALS TO ALASKA TO WORK FOR STATE GOV ANYMORE.
147	Yes, we have lost a third of employees to similar federal position in the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The majority of these employees were the highest educated (3 Ph.Ds) and most competent. We are also being forced to hire many non U.S. citizens with only student or H1-B visas. We currently have 2 with a group of 15--neither have green cards. One speaks only marginal English.
148	Yes, I had to go through 2 rounds of recruitment to find a qualified employee for a position this past year.
149	Yes - we have had to go out several times - a couple of times no one qualified to interview applied. We try to drum up applicants in our region and staff tell us - why would I do your job for the pay - with the hours you have to work I would be losing $$. What can I say...it is true. We just try to stay positive. When a new supervisor has been at the job for several months they realize the extra time needed - a few have told me that they woul not have taken the job had they only known....also, several of our supervisors are looking for other jobs.
150	Not yet, but I can easily foresee it being a problem with my next hire.
151	YES YES and YES, The COs don't want to work here b/c they make about 12% more and would take a cut/change unions, can't get people to apply once they see the work required and the little pay
152	Yes. Analyst/Programmers are typically hard to recruit. I'd like to be able to recruit outside Alaska on first recruitment because the pool is so limited, it is a waste of valuable time to be required to recruit in-state first. I've had several people go through interviews only to decline an offer once they had to think seriously about their salary and Juneau cost of living.
153	Not at this time.
154	Yes. Entry wage is too low and the cost of living in Juneau is too high. We are unable to get people qualified or interested in moving into Juneau
155	Yes, most people that come here are not qualified, compared to 4 or 5 years ago we actually had people to pick from.
156	Yes, I have had to create an OJT position as I could not hire qualified staff.
157	Absolutely. I have lost employees to the private sector and to municipalities, and applicant pools for positions I fill rarely have more than three candidates.
158	Yes - it is almost impossible to get Analyst Programmers to apply at the 2 and 3 level but it takes an act of God to get a PD reclassed up.
159	YES--we here at ADF&G are constantly competing w/ the Feds for qualified applicants in entry-level Biologist positions. Who in their right minds would want to work for the SOA-ADFG when they could be making up to $10/hr more w/ say the USGS?
160	I have not had direct experience with this, however co-workers have had a terrible time getting high level or even qualified individuals for positions, even at entry level jobs.
161	Yes. we get good recruits, and lose them to better paying jobs regularly once we get them trained.
162	Yes, the workload is to high, cannot retain employees which means more supervisor time.
163	No, I have been pretty successful lately.
164	No new hires for some time. For other supervisors I know, it is getting increasingly difficult to attract and hire qualified personnel.
165	Yes, getting professional staff who want to assume leadership roles in our organization has been difficult and often requires us to search out of state for qualified candidates. Many in-state candidates pursue federal employment for similar positions because the pay is considerably higher and the stress level lower.
166	The more technically demanding the skill, the harder it is to fill the position.
167	Multiple recruitments are sometimes necessary to find even one or two well-qualified candidates.
168	Over the past 5 years we have been unable to hire a highly qualified person based on the current wages. We have to hire below and do extensive training for them to move on later.
169	Yes, salary is not competitive to other private employers.
170	Yes, they move into this field and gain unmatched experience and knowledge and then move into the private sector and make nearly twice as much money with competetive benefits as well. It's hard to compete.
171	Yes. Not a lot of benefits to hold on to the employees
172	Yes. Our receptionist position is the bottom of the barrel. An Admin I. You cannot keep people in a position for any period of time if they are not paid for what they do and their mandatory benefits take most of their pay. Qualified people move on quickly. We have had 5 receptionists in about that same time period.
173	Yes, it is a fluke that the person I hired into a position was a nurse and able to be upgraded to a Nurse Consultant I making her pay more in line with her responsibilities. Up until that happened, I had run her step out as far as I was allowed to approach an appropriate salary. OF course that meant she would be frozen at that level for years, but I was planning to try to change her job class or pull some other machination to be able to give her a raise.
174	Yes, Administrative Staff. Would like to see flexible admin staff.
175	No. The employees I supervise have been here much longer than I have. They are very well qualified and a joy to work with.
176	Yes. Surveyors and Right of Way Agents.
177	Yes, the applicant pool is small or top qualified applicants are taking other positions and dropping out of the application process.
178	Yes, salaries of workers are non-competitive with private sector and local MOA employees
179	Yes. several positions vacant over a year.
180	Yes, many leave for higher paying jobs in the private sector.
181	Absolutely! This is due in part to lack of qualified recruits, retaining due to job vacuum, but also to lack of leadership in support of mid-level managers.
182	Restricked hours, with split and broken shifts.
183	Yes, cannot retain highly qualified individuals for positions because the local market pays more for non-state jobs. Have three people leaving an office of 30 within 2 weeks of each other, all for similar jobs, outside state employment, with higher pay.
184	Yes -- We had and continue to have a very hard time recruiting qualified heavy equipment mechanics, equipment operators, plumbers. electricians and many other maintenance specialist trades.
185	Recruiting has become more and more difficult because the pay does not keep up with the private sector, Workers on diffrent pay scales cannot opt out of thier benifits. Range 8 workers are paying the same for thier benifits as Range 18 workers. It is difficult to retain good workers when there is not incentives to work harder as the merit increases are small it hardly makes a diffrence in thier pay checks. There is no career latter, benifits are expensive and new workers who are tier 4 are working next to workers who are Tier 1 it becomes very clear very fast that the Tier 4 workers are getting less than the Tier 1 workers and they are both doing the same work.
186	Absolutely, CPS work is difficult and recruiting is MOST challanging.
187	EXTREME DIFFICULTY in Juneau. Classification/pay range of the Eligibility Technician job class is outdated; cannot compete with other departments or private industry which pay considerably more for the same knowledge/skills/abilities. State of AK health benefits used to attract and retain workers who otherwise might have left for higher salaries; now most employers have better health plans and coverage.
188	Yes - We had more than one opening that posted for 30 days and the quality of applicant was dismal. The pay at the entry level is not getting applicants who even have entry level skills, such as common sense and communication skills.
189	YES! as an epidemiologist, I need to depend on an antiquated classification system that does not recognize this discipline. We have to hire under a vague and inadequate job class called public health specialists - which is a dead end range at level II and is includes scientists as well as program managers. My own position is a managerial position that does not take into account my scientific background.
190	Particularly at breakpoint between O/T eligible and SU. Seasonals don't want to become PFT as they rely on O/T. Fed positions are hiring some of our SU employees - who would be fools not to take them w/cost of living not taxed & higher wages - losing both current employees (although not as many because over the years we have a lot nearing retirement), and unable to keep younger employees. Some are even going to Borough & Muni.
191	Yes. It is difficult to find and retain qualified fishery technicians in some of the smaller towns in Alaska (e.g. Valdez, Seward, Whittier). Typically few people with biological training. When we hire poorly qualified applicants, they often quit after one season due to lack of interest or low pay relative to other jobs. Highly qualified applicants often have to move there and can't affors housing on a seasonal salary.
192	For the past 10 years there has only been one two week period where all vacant PCNs had been filled. In the last six months, two staff members left, because they did not make enough money. Two others offered positions declined when they found they would be making less money in the new position. Staff who are higly qualified do not seek promotion because of not being eligible for overtime or because their is little difference in pay.
193	Yes. Our pay schedule is not adequate to meet the local cost of living, particularly for single wage earner families.
194	Yes. We have seen a decrease in applicants for seasonal work. In some cases NO ONE applies! We are taking extra time to promote ADF&G employment, hoping to get enough applicants to fill the positions. The best technicians are only around for 1 or 2 seasons, or gone as soon a better paying job comes around. The Feds are hiring the prime.
195	Difficulty in retention, to much stress for the pay.
196	No.
197	We are having a very difficult time with recruitment and retention. The State simply does not offer competitive salaries and benefit packages to make it worthwhile to live and work in Juneau.
198	I work with and supervise professionals in the specialized field of public utility regulation. Generally, the only source of qualified prospects is the industry we regulate. Not only is near impossible to recruit experienced people when you can not offer equitable pay but is also near unavoidable the loss of employees to private sector once they acquire experience.
199	Yes, I supervise 6 administrative positions and I am the primary hiring manager for 270+ positions. We struggle to find and keep qualified staff.
200	Yes, because the positions are seasonal so I have a great deal of hiring to do every year.
201	Hard to get qualified people in rural areas such as Nome and Bethel.
202	Difficulty recruiting.
203	We require masters degrees with national certification. No training programs exist in Alaska. I have several employees enrolled in on-line degree programs while working which results in reduce productivity and increased stress.
204	Yes. Particularly for technical positions such as my own (GIS).
205	Yes, Nurses can work most any where else and get paid more with no mandatory overtime.
206	Yes, mostly from the professional level series. Cannot compete with private organizations when it comes to salary.
207	No
208	Yes, I have lost several people (Equip. operators) who cannot work for the low pay and survive.
209	Could not recruit a genetics counselor in spite of months of recruitment nation wide. Other positions had to have the posting time extended.
210	No.
211	Yes. Tier IV is going to have a huge impact.
212	Yes. We have primarily entry level positions and have difficulty attracting and then KEEPING them if we actually make a hire.
213	No
214	Yes, see answer to #4 above; responses range from low pay to dimished retirement benefit incentives; some respondents state that they can do better with the federal government or private sector positions, or even with the Municipality of Anchorage!
215	For supervisors in the area of child protection, it is very difficult to find qualified people.
216	not really, I supervise entry level positions.
217	Yes, benefits and salaries for IT folks makes it extremely difficult to hire qualifed workers.
218	Yes. Admin Clerks II and III in Public Assistance are offered incredibly low salaries for the service they provide. In fact, many must utilize Food Stamps just to make ends meet. That's just wrong! They are required to know a lot of technical information about state and federal programs, and then guide the clients through the process. These are the people who must be certain that information is entered correctly in the EIS system. If they get it wrong, it's a big problem. This is not a "type a letter/file a letter" kind of job. "Clerk" is quite a misnomer. They work very hard performing a demanding job, and are not recognized for the complexity of the work they do. When we are lucky enough to hire someone who is very talented, I know he or she will not stay for long. They can't afford to work for so little.
219	Yes,in the past 5 years I have been the hiring manager for 3 professional level biologist positions and 1 entry level. In each of these four positions, no more than 2 qualified applicants were interviewed for the positions.
220	yes-Correctional Officers difficult to recruit and retain. Tier 4 benefits is not a very interesting benefit package.
221	no
222	Yes, mainly due to salary vs. cost of living in my area.
223	No, but the pool to draw from has grown smaller.
224	YES - see above. WE go many months without filling positions, so instead of looking at why, the administration is looking at changes to criteria for candidates.
225	Most assuredly! People came to work for the state because of the benefits. We were one of the last places that offered retirement plans. Now, what do we have to offer? People have a better shot at benefits and pay increases in th private sector. The pool of viable employees has really dwindled. Recently we interviewed for Admin Assistants and only had 9 applicants...for 4 positions.
226	No
227	YES Starting wages are about $10.00 an hour under, 30% less than skilled labor is making in the private sector and requests to start at B step have been denied!
228	No
229	Not for SU positions.
230	Not really but some need more pay for the level of responsibility they have.
231	DEFINITELY. ET SERIES IS UNDERPAID FOR THE WORKLOAD. TURNOVER RATE IS VERY HIGH, CAUSING CONSISTENT STAFF SHORTAGES.
232	Yes, few qualified people apply for biologist jobs. The same could be said for many of the jobs at Fish and Game.
233	Yes, it has been very difficult to retain and hire qualified staff. We can not compete fairly with other agencies with the current pay and benefit scales.
234	We've had 50% turnover in Juneau in the last 18 months due to Admin opening higher-level positions and taking our best people.
235	Yes. We were an office of 15. We have lost 27 people in our office in the last 10 years (not all, but most due to dissatisfaction; they can get better pay/benefits in private sector now). Now due to budget cuts in the last few years our office is down to 11 employees. Of course, they expect more work and better quality work now than before with less people. Granted technology has improved to help, but not enough; especially in Fairbanks as we recieve ours (upgraded technology) 1-3 years after the other areas like Anchorage and Juneau.
236	Yes, staying with SE, there are no new candidates already trained or even exposed to the equipment we use. In trying to lure outside recruitment, when they realize the cost of living as opposed to their salary, they refuse job offers.
237	I am on a third nationwide recruitment for one position. We get "qualified" applicants that we know could not do the job. It relates to the poor salarie and our classifications that say we do so much for the salaries we give. Upper management positions are very difficult to recruit for and we have a very high turnover rate because we train employees and they get much better jobs on the private market. One of the biggest problems with our department.
238	Yes. There is a high demand for analyst/programmers. Very rarely we get qualified candidates
239	Yes, few responses to state jobs when posted. Most people are already in state service and others don't want to leave the better paying private sector.
240	Yes, we often have difficulty in filling the procurement positions (thanks to the outsourcing "privitization" at DOT.
241	Yes. It has been particularly hard to recruit for qualified public health nurses. We have a number of position that have been vacant for extremely long periods of time, especially the higher level positions in the rural areas. In terms of Admin series staff it hasn't been hard to recruit them, however it has been hard retaining them because the best ones quickly move on to higher paying positions.
242	Yes . Lt. position is paid less than a COIII
243	Yes. I do not even see any interest in vacant positions by UNQUALIFIED applicants, let alone QUALIFIED applicants.
244	We can not keep people at the Juneau Claim Center. They either promote out or leave for a job that pays the same with less responsiblities.
245	I have had a more difficult time recruiting employees in Juneau than other areas in the state. Sometime it seems we have more jobs in Juneau than qualified applicants.
246	Retention - yes. But not necessarily based on compenstation as much as fed up with administration and department.
247	Yes - for health related job classes in Juneau it is by chance (spouse of a federal employee moving to town etc.) or stealing employees from each other often by which has the better job classification (range of pay).
248	Yes, qualified people are taking jobs for better pay at other businesses.
249	Yes to a certain extent. I have been fortunate, but other supervisors in my Division have had real difficulty in recruiting and retaining people with experience in the field.
250	Yes. Pay is far behind the private sector and w/ Tier 4 benefits, that has fallen behind too. Impossible getting qualified professionals.

251	Yes, mainly because of pay. They can go to work in the private sector doing the same type of work for more money. Also, benefits after 7/1/06 will not attract anyone that is willing to stay around for a while.
252	Yes. We have severe shortages in dispatch positions, which require a high degree of communications skills and an ability to prioritize. These positions pay clerk wages. APD and other agencies pay 25-35% more.
253	Yes, I am on round three of recruiting for an AC II position. It took 6 months and 4 tries to fill another. The pay and benifits are just not attractive enough for these postions. Also, we expect alot of integrity, confidentiality and they have to deal with some very heavy topics (I work for DPS) and we do not compensate for this either - our AC II postions are no differently classified than DHS or Administrations who do not have to deal with the worst subject matter - graphic and horrific details of crime.
254	They find jobs with less stress and move on.
255	No. Even though biologists in Alaska are way underpaid when compared to the rest of the states, biologists by nature went into this kind of work with the desire to work outdoors. The pay is dismal, but the quality of people at ADFG is exemplary, however, I believe recruitment will be affected in the near future.
256	YES! With the new retirement system in place we have noticed our recruitments going from 60-90 applicants to less than 10 just for the clerical positions, let alone the higher ranged positions. We are having to do a lot of extensions of posting time and are still having trouble finding qualified people to hire.
257	Yes. Professional employees are hard to come by because of better pay and benefits in the private sector.
258	Yes, salaries and benefits to low.
259	Yes We are no longer getting qualified applicants. Last summer I had to extend a recruitement three times and then the hiring freeze came by the time I had qualified applicnats and the freeze was lifted it was time to lay off the position I was trying to recruit so we never did make a hire.
260	yes- I feel the quality of recruits has increased, but it has become more difficult to find people to meet the minimum qualifications. Retention has not been too great a hardship.
261	We have jobs within our division that are entry level. It's hard to get good people to apply anymore and retaining at the present payrange is very hard. The very good employees move on to higher paying positions as fast as they can.
262	Yes, and the number of people applying is down too.
263	Finding qualified individuals is becoming increasingly difficult and I suspect it is reflective of the level of pay and the new benefits packages for tier IV employees.
264	yes-benefits are not as attractive any longer and pay is a big reason people leave. In juneau the same people apply for the same job classes all the time.
265	Yes, hiring is too labor intensive and need to have a specifi designated hiring team to focus on this issue alone
266	Yes--I've held positions open because the applicants met board MQs but did not have the specific technical or scientific experience needed to compentently do the work without a extremely large investment in training.
267	Every summer with seasonal employees and with full time positions, we spend a lot of our own time teaching and training only to see them leave for the feds.
268	Yes, For the duties required of our job classes, especially in regional centers (Bethel, Nome, Dillingham) the LGS series is not compensated adequately.
269	YES! Recruitments have to be extended multiple times to get more than one to interview.
270	Absolutely. Child Protection is high stress. We have insufficient tools and resources to fulfill our mandates, ridiculously high caseloads and less than half of the staff needed for our work area and client size. Now, with Tier IV, it is more difficult yet.
271	YES. Been trying to fill an AP position unsuccessfully now for almost 3 months, even opened to out-of-state applicants.
272	n/a - I am a newly assigned supervisor
273	Yes - professional salaries offered by the state are far below those offered in the private/federal sectors.
274	Retaining is an issue due to management demeanor that staff is treated with little respect. The pay alone would not fix this.
275	Retention is a big problem. We train them and someone else gets them.
276	The quantity and quality of applicants for various job classes has gone way down.
277	Yes. Very limited interest in positions (1-2 applicants), whereas years ago you would get 20, 30 or 40 applicants for the same position.
278	Yes not a large enough applicant pool for some clerical or accounting posistions
279	The recruiting is difficult.
280	Yes it is getting more difficult to hire qualified personnel and to retain those I have. It apppears they leave for 3 major reasons: 1) Job statisfaction (meaning no matter how hard they work, they get the same pay as others who work at the minimum level and the harder they work the more work they receive) 2) Poor leadership at high levels (meaning there is little information on the direction a department is trying to go-no goals and the leadership is inconsistent); 3) Pay-it stinks; 4) Nepotism and favrotism-it's downright blantant and it is not corrected
281	In Admin, most positions are entry-level stepping stones so I don't expect to retain them very long. I train staff to take other jobs in other words which is frustrating. If they were paid more maybe they would stick around longer.
282	Yes, qualified candidates look elsewhere-where pay is higher-and leave quickly when hired.
283	Yes, the pay and retirement benefits are much lower than the private sector.
284	yes. nurses
285	yes! the wages can't compete with non-state jobs.
286	Under tier 4 it has become increasingly difficult......with some potential requites choosing to continue working for Wallmart or Lowes.
287	Yes, I had to do my old job for 7 months as well as my new job when I advanced, of course I didn't get pay nor even a thank you for doing both jobs.
288	Yes, We can not recruit mid level engineers.
289	Applicants not with the SOA apply for any job with intentions of upward mobility - using this job as a 'way in' with hopes of bargaining up for other jobs posted 'State of Alaska employees only or Department Only'.
290	Yes we have had positions open for over 1 year LTC can not refer any one who wants to only work 37.5 hr and at a reduced rate contract
291	Yes. The Fisheries Biologist series applicant pool has deteriorated and we are now going out of state to barely qualified individuals for mid to upper level positions.
292	yes- no room for advancement.
293	Yes - and the candidate pool is getting smaller and less qualified. To me the long range outlook for the State does not look good. We'll end up recruiting poorly qualified or motivated people because there are no other candidates. There is not a pool of enthusiastic, motivated employees coming up the ranks behind us.
294	Not in the position that I am in now. But the employees that I see being hired in this department have NO LIFE EPERIENCE which makes them an inneffective one sided probation officer.
295	yes, due to the pay, we have had several people turn down our positions and work at walmart or fred meyer instead.
296	YES. Who wants to work as a Tier IV????
297	Yes. Our jobs require a Master's level degree--not enough people in AK to cover all jobs.
298	I have attemped recruiting from the lower 48, only to be laughed at because of the lower wages. Others have moved on to private sector jobs for more pay.
299	The difficulty is being able to recruit. The applicant pool is very small because of the lower salaries the state offers.
300	Not personally, haven't been in the organization that long, but as an organization we have had a very difficult time with recruitment & retention.
301	Yes, Very few if any well qualified people apply for these jobs any more and many have left for better paying jobs.
302	Yes. It is very difficult to hire competent technicians every summer for the positions I offer. While college students are what we'd rather hire for Port Sampling, most are looking for work from May thru August. My positions start in July and end in late September. This makes it difficult every year.
303	Yes. Job applicants are less qualified than in the past.
304	yes, with Tier 4, and current salary schedules we can neither hire or retain employees. Very important in public safety positions.
305	no
306	It has taken me 3 months to fill one (1) position this last go around, If wages don't go up we will loose more personl we have already lose 3 key personal in or office at this time..
307	Yes, very much so. Positions under my supervision usually take over 1 year to fill. I have one position that I have not been able to fill for over 6 years. This is ALL to to low compensation. My maid private sector competition offers a starting salary to "fresh out of school kids" that I can only offer my most senior staff. My position is paid at one-third the going rate in the private sector. Nearly 50% of my staff is compensated at the 50% level. Most applicants ask if these positions are part time.
308	N/A
309	Yes. We are no longer an attractive career option for bright young workers.
310	Yes. It has taken the Fairbanks Distict Probation Office more than two years to fill 5 PO positions.
311	Absolutely. For the level of responsibility in the Range 18-20 positions I have recruited for, the salary level has certainly limited the number of qualified applicants.been a limiting factor in
312	No.
313	no
314	I work in a division where our professional staff (geologists) must generally hold a Ph.D. to be taken seriously for the higher level positions. We have definitely had trouble finding qualified professional staff, even at lower levels. Most geologists can find better paying jobs (including benefits) in industry; however, we have some employees with altruistic motivation who have come to our agency because they thought it was the right thing to do. I doubt that trend will continue. We have recruited for some positions and not been able to find qualified applicants. Our IT staff recruitments have gone from having a great pool of applicants to a very small, barely qualified pool. We believe we have a very real chance of not being able to fill IT positions in the near future.
315	Yes, positions in the accounting field are getting harder to fill.
316	Yes, qualified health professionals can get greater pay and benefits working for grantee organizations than they can for the state of alaska.
317	Yes. My area of supervision is very remote and it is has always been difficult to hire and retain staff to work in remote locations. The cost of living in remote areas of the state has increased dramatically in recent years, making retention of staff all the more difficult.
318	Yes, we have a real need for qualified environmental engineers and scientists
319	Yes, the job pool has been minimum on recruitments.
320	Yes. Finding qualified employees has been very hard. They can make better wages in the private sector.
321	Absolutely! Our licensed positions sit vacant for months. Often time we have to settle for the young inexperienced or the old disabled. In addition,I have lost some of my best employees to better offers in the private sector. The "best" are always highly sort after and a limited commodity. They know their value in todays market and can demand premium wages. If the State is not willing to pay market value for its employees it will lose them. Potential employers understand the value of highly qualified employees and are willing to pay for them. Employers benefit through increased efficiencies and quality products and services.
322	fewer applicants
323	Yes, it is hard to recruit microbiologists from the health field. They make a lot more money at the hospitals.
324	Yes I have. I have recruited for an Industrial Hygienist for about 9 months and still haven't hired for the postion. One reason is that private industry pays at least $20,000 to $30,000 for the same time of job in Alaska. The people I have offered the jobs to say the state in not comparable, especially because they will not pay very much relocation pay and the retirement benefits have been changed so much.
325	No
326	Yes. In Juneau especially. Qualified employees do not want to come to Juneau due to the area, and pay being identical to a much larger city. There is no differential.
327	Very much so. But a bigger problem is the best people are tending to leave after a couple of years.
328	No
329	Yes, the last three biologist positons we hired out of our office had very few qulified applicants even after offering the position nation-wide.
330	No, but don't supervise any Supervisory personnel.
331	YES! Ever since Tier 4 it seems like I get less applicants for the positions I post.
332	Yes, open nationwide and extended recruiting period and still only got one qualified individual and this individual was a rehire to our project returning to the State of Alaska.
333	Yes, low rate of pay and tier retirement
334	Yes. People often find better paying jobs with better benefits in the private sector than with state government.
335	Yes due to non-competitive wages and lack of advancement opportunity
336	Yes. As stated above, the clerks can make more money in the private sector. It is very hard to retain staff.
337	This could happen in a one person office because of a lack of opportunity to train someone as a replacement.
338	yes, lose pay immediately when promoted.
339	yes - applicant pool is very poorly qualified.
340	Yes, I was part of an interview group for a Program Manager and the job was recruited three times to get an acceptable pool of applicants. Of the 12 that were considered, I thought only two were worthy of the position.
341	Absolutely - I cannot find qualified employees, and when I do, they leave for better paying positions within months.
342	We have difficulty recruiting nurses as I have mentioned before and also retaining our Admin Clerk II because it simply doesn't pay enough. They stay for about 3-4-6 months then move onto jobs in the private sector. Tier IV will be killing us in hiring and retaining anyone.
343	In the past, yes, but not so much recently. Probably more of a function of the positions we've recruited for.
344	Yes. A recent job was in recruitment for over 18 months before a qualified applicant applied.
345	I haven't experienced difficulty in recruiting qualified employees because most of my recruitments has been for entry level positions that do not require a great amount of experience. I do have trouble retaining qualified employees though. Most new employees use their State service for acquiring skills and training for doing their job, but will leave after a couple of years to take positions with the federal government or private sector which pay a lot more for similar job classes and less responsibility.
346	Yes. The latent print examiners are paid $500 less per month than the other people that work at the lab. LP examiners get overtime, but we have to work about 200 hours of overtime to get to the same pay as the other lab employees. We are expected to work crime scenes because we get OT. We work more hours than the other employees at the lab. Pay differential is the main problem referenced when we have latent examiners quit. We have had an almost complete turnover in the last 5 years.
347	Yes, because of the pay.
348	YES...for the past 5 years that I have been with this department: Sometimes we advertise repeatedly because there are no applicants! Also, new hires (to the state) leave in 2 years to get better pay/benefits. Tier 4 is a big problem! And so are non-competitive salaries
349	Yes. Most of my hiring requests for engineers result in only one or two applicants, if any at all. Usually the applicants are marginally qualified.
350	Six years ago, an Accounting Clerk II posting would result in 50-60 qualified applicants. We now are lucky to get 6.
351	My workers are the lowest paid in the organization and are reliant upon social service programs to provide food, shelter and medical assistance for their families.
352	Yes. The last 3 or so years applicants do not have the skill level as previous 10 or 12 years. It really shows in the quality of their work.
353	I have not had to hire anyone since Tier IV has taken effect. Retention time has decreased by half or more in the past 10 years. We hire excellent people and train them. They do not usually come to us trained.
354	Yes....just lost a valuable employee because I wasn't able to increase her salary (via ranges).
355	The old guard are leaving fish and game and there are very few new folks being trained up. WE are lucky to get one or two qualified candidates and we are deffinately hiring off the bottom of the barrel.
356	Yes, the pay is not comparable to the private industry.
357	I have had difficultly recruiting qualified employees, while I see highly qualified workers going to work for the Federal Gov in similar job classes.
358	Yes. I manage the food safety and sanitation program. I have had chronic vacancies in my Anchorage, Juneau, and Ketchikan offices. I am unable to hire journey level positions and advanced positions. Qualified people are not applying.
359	Yes, we just about have a revolving door in DNR as we basically a training ground for employees who move on the other State Agencies. More pay for the same work. Or they are hired away by the municipality and the private sector. but for the most part we lose employees to other state agencies.
360	no, due to the decline of the Forest Products Industry
361	This has absolutely been of great concern in our agency. I have two Admin. Clerks that work in my section that are vital to our daily operation. Filling vacancies in these positions with someone with even an inkling of office/legal experience is next to impossible. By the time I train someone from the ground up, they are ready to move on for more money.
362	I haven't needed to hire anyone in the past four years; however, I and many other qualified staff have not applied for higher supervisory positions because of the low pay and benefits. Consequently, recently advertised positions have had 0 to 1 applicant.
363	Yes. I recruit using a lifestyle enhancement as a reason someone would like to move to Alaska. However, most high tech positions in the states are paying over $100K.....I cannot start someone even at $75K. Below is the latest email received on 10/4/2006 from an applicant who would have been perfect. Annette, after much consideration, I have decided to remove myself as a candidate for the position in your group. While it is true that salary is not my primary consideration for this position, it is impossible for me to justify such a drastic pay cut at this point in my career. This decision was by no means a simple one. In speaking to you and your team, it became clearly evident to me that your work environment and leadership is exactly what I would hope for in my next position. I would like to think that when it does come time for me to reconsider a position in your organization that I may contact you again. I appreciate your time and patience. Doug
364	No, we have very dedicated employees that enjoy helping people. The Job Center has a reputation as a good place to work.
365	Yes, too much corruption in the workplace to include politics
366	In some job classes we have had difficulty attracting highly qualified people due to wage range limitations.
367	Yes. There seems much less of a job pool and those that apply have very little if no experience in the job class they are applying for. Most of the employees I have hired usually just make minimum qualifications and I spend an enormous amount of time training them. Then once they have received the training they move up quickly to other jobs because of the lack of applicants to the upper job classes.
368	Extremely difficult. The last time I posted a job on work place Alaska I did a 15 day recruitment. I got three applicants none of which met the MMQ's. I reposted for 30 days and got two applicants. I was able to select a candidate from that group. You know there is a problem when the members of the selection board out number the candidates
369	We don't have trouble keeping employees and we tend to promote from within, but we have trouble filling vacant postions. Very few apply, giving us a very small pool of applicants
370	Yes. Applicant pool for entry level positions in Juneau have significantly diminished in the past three years (down from 20 or more to as low as two). Entry level positions pay poorly, staff in these positiosn (up to Range 12/13) are frequently working two or more positions (Fred Meyers, tourisim positions) to make ends meet. As soon as they qualify for the next step up, they applyu and are hired - showing heavy competition for qualified, trained staff across all Departments. Frequently there is not a step up position in smaller Divisions, so they train and retrain repeatedly. A flex positon for these entry levels would be beneficial.
371	yes the most often empoyee that is hard to keep are 4 seasonal positions.
372	yes. I have trouble finding seasonal wildlife technicians and professional level biologists that are competent in the office and the field.
373	It is very hard to recruit Qulified Mechanics
374	Yes, the pay is less than in the private sector.
375	Yes. Currently contractors that we deal with have hired several former DOT employees and we have been unsuccessful in finding qualified applicants for our last few openings.
376	Yes, Most facility & project managers make more in the private sector...
377	Yes, Workload is very high, salary is low. Individuals are finding better paying jobs in the community.
378	Yes. Benefits and pay largely inadequate.
379	cannot attract Engineers or Engineering Geologist. Will have to hire consultants to do the work previous done by state employees at a higher cost to the state.
380	Yes. The applicant pool is weak.
381	My Division is finding it terribly difficult to recruit and retain employees with the wages we can offer. This was in large part due to DOP's "class studies"
382	Subordinates will not "advance" out of their union due to pay and health insurance differences.
383	We are starting to lose employees to the private sector, other State agencies, retirement, etc. more so than any other time since I have been with the State. So far this has been primarily at the front-line staff level but it is starting to move in to my managerial positions as well where I lost one of the best managers I have ever worked with to the private sector.
384	Yes. Qualified people work where they will get paid the most. Today's workforce does not have the "loyalty" that the baby boomer workforce has; if they can make more money somewhere else they are not going to stick around very long.
385	Not yet but I expect in the next several years we are going to a dramatic drop in the quality of applicants given the lack of pay or anad benefits being offered by the state
386	Yep! Big time! We have had positions open on Workplace Alaska 2 - and 3 times extended...People just starting out look at the Tier 4 and seriously think again. Their focus becomes - "This is a good first job, for about a year or so..." They don't look at state service as the jewel it once was. I believe they're thinking is valid.
387	Not so much in my section. Altho the staff who have left were in entry level positions who were trained and then qualified for a higher position. They moved on when a higher position was not available in the same section/department.
388	Yes. Number and quality of applicants has dropped significantly. This is the greatest challenge we face.
389	N/A as yet, need more time on the job.
390	Yes. State salaries and benefits are not competitive with the private sector or the Federal government. We can no longer expect to attract the best people into State service.
391	In Juneau, recruitment is very difficult and I typically get only a few qualified applicants. Anchorage is better for recruitment. Some of the differences ties back to cost of living and how expensive it is to live in Juneau. I see Juneau positions being reclassed to higher level positions in order to higher qualified applicants. In the long run, the cost the state more monies - Level III instead of a Level II.
392	Yes. I'm in IT. Compensation is pathetic when compared to the market. Even the feds are running 35% over us. No one smart enough to do quality IT work is stupid enough to take bad compensation and Tier IV.
393	Again the private sector pays more for IT technical professionals, and yes I am finding it difficult or impossible to fill postions.
394	Our agency(DJJ) has.
395	No.
396	no shortage of qualified applicants.
397	Yes. minimal responses to professional positions. Selected applicant often refuses position when offered as they have a better offer. Lost GOOD employees to the private sector due to salary increase ofered by private company.
398	No, I am new
399	Definitely! The employees that I am currently supervising have not been able to truly meet the stated requirements of their job class. However, they were the best we could get. We are now, and have been, in a position where we have to accept "the best of the worst". By this I mean that instead of hiring those who can truly fulfill the specifications of their job class we have to hire those who barely meet minimum qualifications (occassionally we have to ask for exceptions because they don't but we just need a body!). We are operating with employees that we can only "hope" will "grow into" their job descriptions. The general consensus has been to lower expectations, even on perfomance evaluations. If an employee appears to attempt to meet the lowered expectations presented to them they are to be evalueated as "Acceptable". This is no way to manage personnel. But a true evaluation is a risk many are not willing to take as they are afraid of truly evaluating employees and losing the "body".
400	I have a QA unit with no client (OCS) caseload which makes the positions very popular, so I have not had turnover issues. Finding qualified workers however, is extremely difficult. Professionals from the community will not come to the state. The new system of no social security and no retirement plan other than the 401, will contribute to the lack of quality of workers.
401	Yes, The pay is low and now they have bad benifits.
402	Recruitment for technical positions has become quite difficult. Applicant pools are small and qualified applicants are limited.
403	Yes, we have had to advertise for as long as 60 days to hire qualified persons in Range 16 positions.
404	I haven't had to hire anyone for a few years.
405	Yes! Particularly in recruiting and retaining database and network folks.
406	Yes, very much so. Most do not qualify and the ones that barely qualify do not stay for more than 1 year. Reason for leaving is always because of pay.
407	Yes, to both parts of the question. I primarily hire seasonal employees and in recent years have been unable to recruit qualified applicants from outside my agency, most likely due to non-competitive wages offered by the state.
408	No. I have not had to recruit anyone. I recently lost an employee, but my program budget is too small for me to recruit a replacement.
409	No.
410	Yes we have had difficulties hiring experienced technical engineers.
411	Not really. The level of experience required is not too high for my unit.
412	Yes, we rarely get more than one or two applicants for engineering positions. Most of the time our applicants already work for us, and they are just advancing up a normal career ladder. We're currently having a hard time attracting even entry level engineers.
413	Since the implementation of Tier IV applicant pools are smaller.
414	Yes, very difficult to attract qualified staff in nmany professional fields and also difficult to retain them after training. State salaries not competitive with private sector or federal govt. and the benefits/retirement package with Tier 4 is dismal.
415	Yes, we have had multiple employees be let go during their probation period because they couldn't perform the basic functions of their job.
416	not yet, but I know I will
417	Yes. It is hard to even get responses to recruiting efforts on Workplace Alaska for Engineering positions.
418	Yes, because of the pay and work schedule flexibilies within private enterprise.
419	YES, MOST OF THE PROFESSIONAL JOBS GET BETTER PAY AND BENIFITS WORKING FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (+25%).
420	I have not had any vacancies to recruit for.
421	yes
422	Yes, Number one complaint can not live on the salary offered.
423	Over the past several years, few of the hiring decisions I have made have involved having more than one or two well-qualified candidates.
424	Two of my recent recruitments failed due to the lack of applicant qualifications. The low pay forces a terrible choice: Hire an unqualified (or 'technically' qualified) person and hope they'll be able to do the job, or make no hire and post again later hoping for a better applicant pool.
425	Yes, especially nurses and clerks.
426	We have had difficulties hiring engineers. The private sector has better salary and benefit packages.
427	Yes. For our range 12 positions we have had to run muliple extensions of recruitments to find a qualified applicant. We have also lost good employees to other positions within the state that have higher pay and less work. We also have lost several candidates to the private sector since we our retirement benefit is like everyone else's now and our medical costs are high.
428	There has been a lack of qualified applicants in a number of job classes advertised on WPA. It is sad that you can advertise a Range 17 position open to all Alaska residents and you receive only two applicants.
429	Yes, Wages are not keeping pace with the private sector. Most of the younger work force look solely at the wage. They are loyal only to the extent you are willing to compensate the employee equal to the competition.
430	Yes, applicants are shocked at the pay scale for an entry level Motor Vehicle Clerk. With the required amount of knowlege to perform satisfactorally in the position and the responsibility of the job, an applicant can work as a receptionist at a doctor, dentist or law office and be paid more and only have to know how to answer a phone and take a message.
431	YES - The quality of the applicants has dropped significantly due to a decrease in benefits and lack of compensation. Employees come to work with DNR, get free on the job training and then leave for higher paying jobs.
432	I've had 1-2 qualified candidates in each of my last recruitment efforts. In the last, the most qualified candidate dropped out before I could offer the job. This also occurred when I was a mamber of a hiring team for another program.
433	Yes - I hire seasonals and have had to settle for less than ideal individuals lately. The best people are looking for longer term work as well as a decent wage. The best I can offer is two months which is suitable for college students but because of low wages, many of these potential employees find better paying, fulltime jobs elsewhere. Its the same story when I hire non students so I tend to lean toward people not necessarily in need, but someone looking to keep busy (retirees for example) for a few summers. No way to recruit future employees in my opinion.
434	Yes and No. We have been able to hire folks that meet the min. quals, but not folks that are "well" gualified. Also, the new hires tend to leave within a short period of time to better paying jobs in either the private sector or other higher paying public sector jobs.
435	In my last recruitment, the most qualified candidate declined because of the lower salary offered by the state, and the degradation of the benefit package for tier IV employees.
436	Yes! I hire analyst/programmers and many of our recruitments go out multiple times before we can fill positions.
437	Yes, I had to fire one employee shortly after becoming a supervisor and recruit a new employee. I have found that it is extremely finding the right person.
438	No, not personally here at the area office level at a desireable location (Homer), but I see it all the time with regional level positions and jobs open at "unfavorable" locations.
439	Yes. Even FBI's and technician positions are difficult to fill.
440	Not for some time as I have been lucky. On other hand, the Tier IV system (AKA the pull tab retirement system) will make it impossible retain employees for more than a year or two thus creating a crushing vacume of qualifyed and expierenced individuals which in turn will cost the hiring manager a signifiacnt amount of his/her time per year fiddling with the proceedureal nightmare of trying to recruite and hire, completing the work of the vacant poisition, and not to mention constant retraining per new employee.
441	no
442	Yes, we have recruited several times for the same position and can not entice qualified employees because of wages and benefits.
443	Yes. Wages are not competitive with Federal Government and down south private enterprise.
444	Yes, it is hard to hire individuals that take pride in their job at the pay rate I have to offer.
445	Yes, due to lower wages for the job class I hire for, Airport Police & Fire Off. recruitment is a big issue for the dept.
446	Yes. Pool of applicants has been more limited and often their qualifications have been deminishing, such as college performance. Also Federal government opertunities, particuarly salaries/work load and responsibility, are often cited as being more attractive than opertunities in the state. More recent hires note particular dissatisfaction with Tier IV retirment benefits, and cite this as a reason they feel less committed to careers with the state.
447	Recruiting has been OK, but retention has not. I have lost two bright and capable entry-level employees to a municipality and the non-profit sector, each within a year of their hire. We got the position reclassified, which seems to have helped, but there is not much of a career ladder for this position.
448	As a hiring manager it is a constant struggle to find qualified candidates due to lower pay as a state employee and changes to the retirement system. The position of a probation officer is the only law enforcement within Alaska that requires a college degree, yet it is one of the lowest paid within the profession. Other similar jobs that require Alaska Police Standards requirements only require that applicants meet an age requirement and have a high school diploma. There needs to be appropriate pay and benefits to attract and retain applicants. Once a qualified applicant is hired, lower salary, limited training and poor benefits make it extremely difficult in retaining employees.
449	YES ! Educational requirements mandatory for the positions are not adequately compensated by either pay or flexible schedules.
450	No, positions have been filled since here. I wouldn't agree that all are "qualified" though.
451	not to date, but I feel that the Tier IV system will severely hurt any future recruiting.
452	Yes, yes and YES. I supervise GGU members. Range 16 primarily. This does not pay enough for the entry level to stay, if we can even recruit a qualified candidate. We have lowered our standards I think.
453	Not that I directly supervise, but see it frequently within the division. Seems to occur at all levels.
454	I am just starting my Supervisory position and have not hired anyone yet.
455	Yes, in all areas of the State (Fairbanks, Palmer, Ketchikan, Bethel, Nome) we have difficulty recruiting PO's and CJT's. Our last 'high three' employee is working now in Barrow; after that PO retires, we will experience problems in Kotzebue and Barrow, probably Dillingham also.
456	Recruiting is generally difficult for positions in my program because the skill set is not often found in individuals in-state. Alaska salaries and benefits are no longer the attraction they once were, compared to many other states.
457	Fortunately I have not had to fill an SU position.
458	yes. I haven't seen that it makes a difference, really, in the job class, either. If you can find an admin clerk who is not only qualified for the position, but also motivated and skilled, you can't keep them for too long. The professional classes are tough to recruit for, too, though.
459	yes since July its harded to find people to work withthe current pay the state offers
460	Yes, administrative positions are very hard to fill and retain. Salaries are not competitive with similiar jobs in the private sector. The retirement system has disappeared as a factor in finding good qualified employees.
461	Not in the job class I have recruited. Yet.
462	Absolutely. Several times no qualified persons responded. At best there is no pool of qualified persons to select from. Positions in Juneau are the hardest to find qualified applicants, it is marginally better in Anchorage or Fairbanks.
463	Yes, we compete with federal agencies for entry and advanced level positions. They pay more and work less.
464	YES, YES, YES> I supervise a medical clinic,...and we can not get qualified nursing applicants because of the poor and non competitive pay and benefit structure.
465	Yes due to lack of applications.
466	No, but I've had to bend the rules in order to retain them (unofficial comp time).
467	Not at present since I have had no turnover lately, but it was immensely difficult to recruit qualified people when I had to.
468	Sure. Turnover of seasonal fish and wildlife technicians is increasing which has cost us a lot more time hiring and training new people.
469	Yes. With the exception of lower level entry admin clerk positions I have had to recruit as many as three times to find a good candidate for several of the positions I supervise.
470	recruitment of entry level employees has been challenging due to inadequate compensation (and this was before Tier IV). recruitment of experienced folks is more challenging as we (again) not able to offer compensation packages that are comparable to the private sector.
471	We get the recruits, but have trouble keeping them, due to low pay.
472	Yes, they are always looking for better pay and benefits.
473	not applicable
474	Yes. Very few interested, qualified applicants for more senior positions.
475	Entry level jobs are very difficult to realize training efforts…..Once a person is hired, they move to a job where they can make a living wage or just quit the state service completely. Some will ask if there are other allowances over and above the pay schedule…….Others will just not apply.
476	Both recruiting and retention at other than entry-level positions. One person left within 3 months. After he left, when I recruited to fill that position, I only got 3 qualified applicants, all of whom declined the position. I was finally able to fill it from another division within my Department.
477	No. I hire student employees who work for a foot in the door rather than a paycheck.
478	The fact is, that after 10 years with the State, I am offered a position with the federal government at $17,000 annual increase, if willing to move out of state. The sad part of this, it is to an area with a cost of living that is lower than Alaska.
479	Some but I think nature of the job market right now.
480	No I havn't been here long enough, however others I have talked to say it is a real problem.
481	It is getting more difficult to recruit for some of our positions.
482	Yes, bo recruiting AND retaining well trained administrative personnel due to salary constraints.
483	yes. see more applicants with only marginal experience. again, why work for the state when you can do the same job and make more with the feds. also, tier 4 will only make it harder to recruite and retain good people.
484	Yes; not in the office here but in the Region we are associated with and in other Regions in H&SS. Staff are able to secure work at the same or better pay for less work. The work is extremely demanding and pay and benefits do not sweeten the pot enough to tempt them to stick with it, I think that is what I see.
485	Yes, due to the nature of the Ferry schedule, it is difficult to get people who want to work at 1:00am for 1.5 hours tying up a ship or come in at 4:00am to untie. I am lucky in that I have a very dedicate and professional group of part time and on calls who never fail me, but it was very difficult to recruit them.
486	It is very, very difficult to hire and retain qualified employees. Working for the state isn't as desireable as it used to be. The private sector pays more and has better beneftis. Bottom line.
487	Virtually impossible to recruit professionals due to incredible disparity in salaries particular with Federal employees
488	Recruiting FULLY qualified,yes. HR needs to do a better job of screening job applicants in WPA.
489	Somewhat
490	Qualified employees are fairly easy to recruit, but retaining them is much more difficult. Some of the reasons range from being seasonal to better pay in the private sector.
491	Not really at my present position, since my employees have been technicians.
492	It is increasingly difficult to compete. There are few reasons to become a state employee today.
493	I lost an extremely valuable employee in early 2006 - he got a job working in the Federal Government. Essentially the same duties, for $20,000 more/year. I would have left for that job too!!
494	I have not had problems recruiting qualified empolyees but after the selection process and offered them the job they refused because the pay was too low and the benefits did not meet what they received in the private sector.
495	Yes,
496	yes, it's been difficult to attract and ratain professional level procurement positions
497	Yes
498	yes, I can find bodies, but not journey level worker to fill journey level positions. we get the C & D level worker
499	Yes, pay, benefits, and retirement (need 20 year retirement) all impediments.
500	No.

501	Yes! The pool of applicants has increasingly grown smaller, often causing us to extend the recruitement period. The applicants are often not very qualified or else they have master or doctorate degrees and apply for Admin Clerk II jobs. The ones that we have been luckey enough to hire that are good employees often leave within 6 months because they are offered more money to go work for the private sector or even the School District.
502	Yes - The minimum qualifications are too low and the workload is too high. Sr. Management does not want to look at the classification because they are concerned the positions will be classed lower than they already are. Our caseloads have increased by 1/2 in the past year alone and volume is not considered when determining the "worth" of a position.
503	Not at this time, I only supervise seasonal employees, most of whom are still in school.
504	Some qualified out of state applicants have told us that we do not pay enough to attract them to Alaska.
505	Yes, especially in the information technologies group. We just can't compete. Also, the push as been to contract out work, which is more expensive, and you have less flexiblity-in house programming is more cost-effective but only if you can get qualified staff.
506	This one of the largest problems we have. We have several vacant supervisory positions, with nobody to hire. Some of the supervisors we do have are marginal, due to the lack of pool to choose from.
507	yes, due to lack of competitive wages - it is much harder to recruit and hire qualified people
508	not yet, but I fear for the future regarding these issues due to Tier IV
509	Not yet. I am a newly appointed supervisor.
510	yes. Building Management Specialist is now posted for a second time due to lack of response. Grant administrator II took us a year to fill. Quality of employees that we do get really are not up to snuff and always looking for something better. retainage is difficult to say the least.
511	Yes, within IT, loss of OT has made recruiting difficult. In IT we need people who can be here during normal business hours to support uses AND are able to be here off hours for emergencies and maintence that effect the availablility of the systems/network. Comp Time is not a solution, as then the employee is not here.
512	Yes. We have extreme difficulty recruiting qualified applicants especially in entry level jobs...compensation does not outweigh the compensation they could get working at McDonalds.
513	Yes. I work for the Office of Children's Services. We have a huge turnover rate and have had two supervisory vacancies for over six months because we cannot find qualified candidates to fill the positions.
514	Absolutely - My area has had three positions that have gone unfilled for over 2 years. No one wishes to work for the State at the wage schedule.
515	Yes. We often have few applicants, or few qualified applicants and have to extend recruitment periods.
516	I have had some troubles recruiting qualified employees for my upper most technical positions in IT as the state pay does not compete with private sector IT pay scales; the one draw however has been benefits.
517	Yes. We have vacant positions we can not fill, filling positions has taken over a year at times and then we loose the recruit and existing employees to the private sector or the federal govt.
518	Not yet
519	Yes, it is difficult to retain technically trained individuals when the Federal government and the private sector give better wages.
520	Yes. It is hard to attract qualified engineers at current wage rates/benefits.
521	Not in the job classes I supervise. But, that is mostly because my employees have been with the State for quite a while and do not want to give up what they have, so I have not had to do much recruiting recently. But, I am an Admin Mgr and know that the rest of our Division is having major problems hiring good, professional employees for our professional level positions.
522	It is hard to acquire seasoned employess that are related to the maritime industry, when the pay scale is low.
523	A little. There doesn't seem to be very many applicants for Acct III or Actg Tech II and III positions.
524	Yes, because the MQ's are based on experience rather than letting the supervisor pick the best qualified candidate.
525	Yes, as in number 6, particularly in hiring experienced public health nurses and managers. Also, a high per centage of our staff are eligible for or near eligible for retirement, which is greatly exacerbating the problem for the future.
526	No
527	Not yet. I have not needed to fill any positions. But I anticipate difficulties with the new retirement system on board
528	Yes. We don't offer enough money to get good people who will show up on time, on schedule, and do their job.
529	Yes, once we train them they leave for a better paaying job
530	Absolutely. We are getting the bottom of the barrel and it will get worse as we dumby down State service as a career.
531	We haven't hired anyone recently. We had an adequate response last time for hiring, but it will depend on the classes. Engineering applicants are hard to find except in the case of promotions.
532	extreme difficulty, nurses do not want to work for the Department of Corrections for less pay, with this difficult population.
533	Yes and it only gets worse, which in turn creates more work in hiring and supervision which detracts from "normal" functions.
534	I supervise LTC employees and have been able to find qualified employees in larger towns, we have trouble finding qualified employees in rural areas and villages.
535	ast October only 1 person interested in interviewing for a lead cook vacancy
536	Yes, no more peace officer retirement and low pay make it very hard to get good applicants.
537	very little change over in our section
538	Yes, and with the new retirement package we are having and will be having more trouble. People do not want to work for the State, we need to entice them with pay and benefits.
539	Yes- not necessarily due to benefit issues but rather hiring practices in DOC.
540	Yes, am having to get very creative in keeping morale up based on the wages we are paying. If there is a GASLINE the state will see a HUGE exodus.
541	Yes, After training somebody then move on or quit and go for a higher range. A high pay that liveable.
542	I have had a very hard time recruiting employees, let alone qualified ones. The level of experience of those that do apply is vastly different from one department to another. People working up through the ranks these days don't seem to want to put out much effort - they are starting out as deadwood and don't seem to respond to training even if it is hand holding.
543	Yes, federal system and private contractors pay more and offer more benefits. Contractors pass costs off to government contracting agencies.
544	Yes. We've had problems recruiting qualified employees and we've gone thru several clerks in the 6 years that I've been a supervisor. You simply cannot recruit and retain good, skilled workers on these salaries.
545	Yes---there are far fewer recruits applying, and fewer qualified applicants. The people we are hiring no longer view the positions as a long-term career but as a temporary stopover on the way to some better job.
546	Yes and one of the reasons is that we have a limited ability to promote to higher paying jobs in our agency and this is do to our location.
547	yes
548	Yes - often have very few applicants and the caliber of those applicants is less than desired.
549	Difficulty recruting - Yes! Retaining employees - no, I have been lucky, very lucky.
550	Can't get any. Can't get current empolyees to move up into the supervisor unit because it is such a bad deal for them.
551	Not me in particular but know that we had difficulty filling a GIS/mapping position because of inability to compete with private sector employees.
552	Yes. We have had individuals turn down job offers once they understand the level and amount of work required for the pay grade.
553	Yes - most positions are fielding only one or two applicants. Many not qualified...
554	Yes. Currently recruiting for an EPS IV in Juneau. Advertised 2 weeks in state (poor response) and have adverstised out of state for over 1 month. Poor pool of qualified applicants. Over half submitted an incomplete application. I did not get very much interest in-house (probably b/c position located in Juneau).
555	I am forunate to have a dedicated staff who are here for more than just the money. All who I surpervise are also in SU. We have too much work and not enough time to complete it in almost all positions. Supervisors get very discouraged when they are consistently spending 45-60 hours per week just to get the most basic functions completed that are required of the position. If this is how the private sector functioned, there would be no one who would stay. Relief is needed in a big way.
556	Yes, with the gradual deterioration of state benefits over the years, it has been difficult to recruit. The fact is that most young people starting their careers will do better in the private sector than they will for the state. This is in terms of both salary and benefits. I have to say that if I were not a Tier 1 employee, I would have quit the state several years ago.
557	Don't really get qualified people applying
558	Can't hardly get an applicant for many positions in the Range 20/22 area. Jobs don't pay enough. We never get a federal employee to apply for a state job. Moving expenses are a joke. We are simply not competitive.
559	What I've seen down to our range 12 is not necessarily no qualified but only one or two applicants.
560	Yes. There has been a chronic problem of not getting interest in biologist or biometrician positions for the past several years. Only very recently has there been an upswing in interest and I believe it is due to the federal agencies not hiring due to budget shortfalls
561	Yes, most of my recruitments have to be extended to at least 20 days before I find someone who is trainable. Most applicants do not have legal exp. And the ones that do are working at private law firms making the same amount of money as entry level attorneys here.
562	Our retention has been good but getting qualified staff is another story. We have a small population base, are a small town on an island in the rainforest. It's hard to get much interest to come here because cost of living is high for rent, fuel and such. It's also hard to keep people in more remote areas because of a lack of housing.
563	Yes, once trained admin staff leave position for private sector (higher wages/benefits) or other state departments paying more for same position
564	Yes. I recently extended a recruitment twice for a range 18 and hired one only to have her leave 5 days later for a job in the private sector making $25,000 more than the state paid- and I had even started the person at a step D- the highest allowed for exceptional experience. It's a typical problem. I am currently running three postings to all applicants (nationwide), and two of those are for range 16 positions. THis is the journey level position for the DRN. It is pathetic not to be able to hire lead workers in this profession. You end up hiring less than adequate workers, which ultimately "dumbs down" the department employees, and provides less service and missions are completed as readily, causing further lowering of the public opinion of state workers.
565	Yes. The designation of "Children's Services Specialists (CSS)" vs. "Social Workers" has made it even more difficult to recruit and retain quality workers because of the inability to promote and the less pay for the CSS. I have personally lost two highly regarded employees because of this, and I still have a vacancy from two months ago.
566	Yes - the education, experience, and general qualifications of candidates has been declining significantly.
567	yes, due to low pay.
568	Yes - very low pay and limited benefits.
569	Absolutely!! Here's an example of how the classification system is used to attract existing employees to new divisions. The Planner series offers few opportunities for advancement. One Division within the Department required additional Planning staff. Rather than establish the positions as Planner IIIs (Range 19), the Division Director established them as Transportation Planner Is (Range 21), even though they would not supervise anyone. This was done specifically to attract Planner IIIs currently working within the Department who were not willing to make a lateral transfer. I support my staff being promoted. However, as a supervisor I would benefit from a system that allows the flexibility needed to pay advanced steps or other increases as incentives to keep staff. We have had substantial staff turnover in the past few years. And the responses to our recruitment efforts have been minimal. I have often had to re-advertise a position multiple times because I do not get an adequate applicant pool that meets minimum standards. This results in a lot of wasted time and effort, while vacant positions remain unfilled.
570	Yes. We get a lot less applicants for everyone nursing position than we used to.
571	Yes, the labor market in the rural areas in Alaska are harder to fill. The locations of the jobs require someone who is knowledgable of the area and is able to live in the rural settings.
572	Yes. Geologists and engineers can just about double their salaries by leaving the state and working for private enterprise or the federal government.
573	Sure. When the State can't attract and hold people in competition with the Federal government, some adjustment needs to be made.
574	Yes, the number of applicants is very low.
575	Yes. It is difficult to find qualified employees period.
576	across the board. Wea are competing for the same resources. The high end jobs are paying up to $100K for college graduates. The rest of the market follows with the state bringing up the rear.
577	Yes. Staff have quit because they can earn more in private sector.
578	Recently with the "Behavorial Interview Setting" it is better to recruit as a transfer instead of opening it to anyone. On top of that a certain Local refuses to support their members by paynig closer attention to their job descriptions. Thank God I got promoted and left that Union. I think it was something like Local 70 or 72 or somewhere in between. Worthless, non-caring but always accetped your dues.
579	Most applicants are floored by the salaries offered. There is no flexibility within (state employee promotion is limited by union contract to one or two steps) and for the additional workload most turn it down.
580	At this time no, my staff has been very consistent. But at the division level, yes we have, particulary in the area of Analyst Programmers, and believe it or not Admin. Clerks.
581	Yes, Registered Nurses are extremely hard to find and there are few new nurses that are coming into the work place since the only program in the state at UAA is insiffieint to meet the growing needs of the state.
582	Yes. I attempted to recruit several positions (Admin Mgr II, Licensing Examiner, Nurse Consultant I) many times unsuccessfully because of unqualified individuals, and because of lack of interest - much having to do with pay.
583	Difficulty in recruiting qualified employees. Very difficult to retain technicians, high turn over resulting in very inexperiend managers and technicians.
584	yes, we don;'t pay enough to attact qulaified OR UNQUALIFIED applicants and now we cannot even offer a pension. If you are going to offer a low salary then you should at least be able to offer a future payoff.
585	Recruiting is difficult as evidenced by the smaller number of applicants for even entry level positions and the need to post jobs for longer periods of time.
586	Yes, absolutely. We have not been fully staffed since I began in my position almost 2 years ago. I've had 3 employees quit because they couldn't afford to work here.
587	YESSSSS
588	When I started working for the State, it appeared to be a great employer. It is becomming increasingly difficult to attract talent to state jobs.
589	Our work environment is very pleasant and employees tend to stay long term in spite of low wages.
590	Yes, it is very difficult to get and retain qualified people in my section.
591	Yes. Our agency utilizes Admin Clerk III's and we've noticed increased difficulties in getting qualified applicants to even apply for our positions.
592	Most of the positions I have recruited for have been entry level positions that I have had no problem filling with qualified employees. The positions, luckily, also provide opportunity for advancement.
593	Its been a revolving door; 7-8 employees in last 7 years
594	Yes. particularly in Juneau where the higher cost of living as compared to Anchorage and Fairbanks makes the inadequate salary even more of a problem convincing qualified candidtes to relocate.
595	Yes. We lost one employee because he could not affort to cotinue working here given the high costs of travel outside to see family - he took a job closer to family. Our recruitment for this position has not resulted in acceptable applicants.
596	Yes, I've had difficulties recruiting and retaining employees. At least two left the position and Juneau because of the high cost of living.
597	It will be impossible to hire and, more importantly, RETAIN good quality employees with the present combination of low wages, substandard benefits, and a nonexistent retirement package. I, as many employees, would be willing to accept concessions in other areas if we could bring back a STRONG retirement package.
598	Yes, we have continued to re-fly job postings because of lack of ANY qualified applicants.
599	Absolutely. In professional positions requiring specific degrees, the State no longer has much of an advantage over the private sector. Salaries are FAR below what can be made elsewhere and the retirement package is now no more appealing than a 401(k). The only advantage left is leave time. Some postings have been on WPA for over a year with little or no response -- and those who have responded have been disqualified -- most ofen due to poor references or inadequate experience
600	Yes, a lot of it is due to the job and the difficulties and stress involved, however the new tier will only make it worse.
601	It has become increasing difficult to obtain qualified employees over the past 10 years. In most cases the best that can be done is to hire a minimally qualified employee and spend significant resources to train them - then often times watch them leave for a better paying job after they have received training from the state.
602	Yes, Fish and Wildlife Tech positions are getting harder too fill due to low pay.
603	Not yet, everyone in our group can retire in 5 years or less. How will I attract highly qualified employees to replace them? Unsure.
604	Law Office Assistant I's and II's need to be paid more. There is a constant turnover and this category needs to be upgraded so that there are ranges from 11 or 12 starting, 13 or 14 for after learning and doing the work a couple of years and 15 or 16 for supervising.
605	Yes, the pool is getting worse, less literate and less qualified.
606	Yes, I am usually required to accept someone who has potential to succeed rather than an applicant who has successfully demonstrated knowledge and skills.
607	Yes. I am currently recruiting for a supervisory position in Kodiak and, in spite of extending the recruitment period, only have two applicants. I have also noticed that the qualifications of entry level positions have diminished. We used to be a step up from non profit programs but are now equal to or fall behind in pay.
608	Yes. Entry level engineers are difficult to recruit (from outside the state system) while licensed and registered engineers are near impossible.
609	Yes, recently during a recruitment for non-perm ESS1, we had less than 15 applicants for 2 openings.
610	OMG! It is so hard to recruit and retain employees. The quality of the applicant has gone way down especially for entry level jobs. Even professional jobs - salaries are not competitive with the community.
611	Yes, I am getting entry level workers because the pay range is so low.
612	yes we have and are currently trying to get a market based pay study for our job class.
613	Yes. Insufficient qualififed applicants or only one.
614	Yes, with the change in benefits and the work expectations that we have for range 10 and 12 employees can make more money and get like benefit packages in the private sector.
615	No - vacancies do not seem to occur as often in the outlying offices as they do in the larger offices but each day I see vacancies posted over and over again in the larger offices and for several years now (at least 5 years now), the consistent story I get is that State agencies can no longer compete with the private sector because our salaries and benefits cannot compete with theirs and the differences seem to be becoming greater and greater with each passing year.
616	Yes, with the Tier 4 inplace the wages are do not compensate for the lack of benefits
617	Yes, a lot. Often, if we cannot respond to a qualified candidate's application timely, they have already accepted another position. We are also lowering the bar on candidates' experience and desirable qualifications just to get the position filled--we need someone to do the work.
618	I have had difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified ADF&G field technicians particularly for remote field camps. This wasn't the case 20 years ago. I haven't personally had difficulty recruiting and retaining professional level position, but I know of cases in other areas of the state where this has been a problem.
619	Absolutely. Cannot get qualified employees for remote sites and they do not stay unless they are from the area. Incentives difficult to provide, even moving expenses much less housing. As stated earlier, I have lost two supervisors back to back for the St. Mary's office as they have had to carry two or three caseloads in addition to supervision, without compensation as our contract does not reimburse supervisors EVEN when they are doing casework. It should.
620	Yes, I have 2 positions open right now, and have no "qualified" applicants.
621	Yes. The pay and benefit have are not competitive. We require our counseling staff to have Master Degree but only pay them a range 16 salary.
622	Retention has been good, but will change significantly in the next few years, due to mass retirements coming up. Recruiting has been difficult, especially prior to the recent pay raise for nurses.
623	Yes - people that apply for the positions are often not well qualified.
624	Yes, I have been turned down twice when trying to hire new employees, both times because of wages. Surprisingly, no candidates seemed to care about Tier IV, rather just about wages.
625	Absolutely. Why doesn't anyone care enough to assess the situation?
626	Yes. Relatively low pay and high cost of living creates problems in recruiting. Hiring workers at advanced steps has been used, but this leads to morale problems with current employees...a new worker makes more than someone that has been in the position for several years.
627	Yes. We get beginning level people applying for more advanced level jobs possibly due to the low pay scale.
628	Definitely. Qualified employees leave for better paying positions.
629	Yes, we do not pay enough. it use to be that a state job was very desirable but now I can not even get anyone to apply. subsequently, I feel obligated to work and not take vacation time.
630	I have had a hard time getting lower class job filled., and had to settle for someone that had to be trained for the job.Applicants see what the State pays and what the private sector pays for the same job. The private sector paying more so they pull their application out.
631	Not in my section, but my department has lost a lot of good professionals to the federal government, and I know people in other sections that have had problems recruiting (versus the feds and consulting companies).
632	Yes. Especially now that they come in as a tier 4.
633	N/A. However, I hear all the time that pay is not equal to the responsibilities that lead workers or supervisors do in their job.
634	Yes. Our salaries and benefits combined with a tight job market make it much more difficult.
635	no
636	Yes, It is hard to recruit qualified employees and keep the ones we have because the outside market will pay more and have a better retirement.
637	Yes. Very few qualified applicants for Planner and Transportation Planner classifications.
638	Yes. Nurses are very difficult to hire based on pay. In addition, all of the expertise required in the Medical industry for claims and program management, make the learning curve almost impossible to hire someone with experience and retrain them.
639	Yes I have, fewer people are interested in the jobs I supervise and the applicant pool has shrunk significantly in recent years. Last season in particualar I had to hire people who weren't ideal candidates and spent extra time training them.
640	No, I haven't had vacancies to fill, but another section has had trouble both recruiting and retaining (same level of employees that I supervise)
641	Absolutely. In Juneau, I can have had to recruit 2 or 3 times to fill Range 17 positions. The workload these people are expected to handle and the lousy pay and benefits deter qualified folks from applying. I get people with no experience and no qualifications and I'm lucky I can get them to take the jobs. Then people complain because they don't perform well. DAH
642	It is hard to find people that are not look for a "cushy state job" there is a misconception that ppl do not work when they work for the state.
643	Yes. One position that I suprervise has had 5 incumbents in 6 years. Three of the incumbents stated that their reason for leaving was to take a position outside state government that paid significantly more (one went to NMFS, ~+15% pay raise, one to MSC, ~+25% pay raise, one to WA DEQ, ~+10% pay raise). The current job solicitation received 6 applicants after being advertised 25 days. Three applicants did not meet minimum qualifications. The three that did qualify for interviews are all current or former state employees. No Tier IV applicants. The turnover in this position means that the state (mostly me, but also DOP and others) is spending an inordinate amount of time hiring and training new employees, time that would be better spent actually doing the work of the position. It takes roughly 80-100 hours of my time (roughly $4,500 of my budget) to recruit, hire, and train a new employee. Add DOP, DIAS, and trainee costs, and the cost to the state of someone leaving this position for a higher paying job is probably approaching $20k/incident.
644	Not yet.
645	Yes, it is getting more difficult to hire staff in Juneau.
646	Yes - pretty slim "pickins"
647	Not yet but I haven't tried recruiting a new employee who would be under Tier 4 yet.
648	Yes. Last 3 recruitments have received only 9 applications (3 per recruitment)
649	yes, people leave for more money, especially non vested staff.
650	yes, few people seem to be interested in working for the state. We need to be able to competitively attract and retain qualified personnel. I cannot recruit subordinates from federal system because they make more than I do already, so there is little incentive to work for State of Alaska.
651	Yes - because of low pay and outdated classifications. I need skilled software engineers to work with me!
652	Yes, the clerk series in highly underpaid and we no longer attract quality workers.
653	Yes, why work here when you can go to the slope and make 2x as much.
654	Yes, With the new tier system it has been very difficult finding qualified people to work on the Unit.
655	Yes. Especially at the lower ranges, it's hard to find candidates with basic workplace skills and the good ones quickly move on. It's less of a problem at the higher ranges.
656	Yes. Lost one range 16 only 2 months after hiring them to a more lucrative position. They were one of the few truly qualified people who applied for the job.
657	I have worked in recruitment for the State for 4 years and noticed several job classes that demonstrated recruitment difficulties. But as a supervisor, the positions I supervise I have not had any troubles.
658	Yes. Correctional Officer III's are reluctant to leave the ACOA bargaining Unit to move to SU because they can make more money without taking a promotion. They are overtime eligible, work 42-hour workweeks, and get better pay increases through collective bargaining than SU does.
659	No
660	Fortunately, our office has been successful in maintaining and keeping its new employees. Unfortunately, once he/she is trained and has gained the experience from our office, whenever there is an opening that pays more and is in the same field, I usually lose the employee to higher classified position
661	Yes, I had one employee who received a less than average mid-term evaluation and chose to retain that employee after the probationary period because it is difficult to find a well qualified person and have them stay. I chose to try and develope this employee.
662	Yes. People settle for state positions until something better comes along. There is no loyalty or desire to do the job correctly
663	Absolutley a HUGE issue...the state hasn't kept pace at all in this area...the pay is too low and the benefits too poor!!!
664	yes, job market can almost name your price nurse shortage need incentive and perks for working in corrections
665	Yes
666	yes, without good wages and/or good retirement benefits to offer, we have some engineering positions advertised with no applicants responding, including an E1 position I supervise. Others have left the Department for private or federal offers. Section chief has reorganized groups to compensate for long-term vacancies.
667	Yes. I am a Hiring Manager (avg. one recruitment per week); I frequently close recruitments with "no hire made" due to inadequate applicant pools (small number of applicants, low caliber).
668	Yes--We have difficult hiring range 16 because our range 16 deal w/difficult applicants and a complicated leasing process. There are much easeier range 16's in DNR so folks gravitate to those jobs.
669	Retaining due to deplorable pay commensorate to the job overtime requirements.
670	Yes, Agronomists are hard to find that are qualified. The retirement options and salaries makes it difficult for us to find people to fill our vacancies.
671	No, I supervise clerks. The problem is that after I hire them they still qualify for welfare. The slary that the State of Alaska pays is wrong.
672	Yes the recruiting process was hard for an Admin Clerk III, not a good selection of applicants because we couldn't advertise the position in the news papers.
673	Yes.
674	I haven't been in this position long enough to answer this based on my own experience.
675	yes - programming is an especially difficult field to recruit in
676	Yes, I have not been able to fill a range 16 position as those who have the current ability to do the work feel that the pay is too low to accept the job.
677	Yes...The professional positions that I supervise are compensatd at 15-20% higher in the field.
678	Yes. Engineers.
679	Yes. Few apps that were just qualified.
680	yes, the private sector is paying counselors more and paying for much better benefits packages. It is increasingly difficult to hire qualified juvenile justice officers and probation officers.
681	NO
682	I have tried to fill a Land Surveyor position for 9 months and have had no applicants. The salary does compare with the private sector.
683	Yes. I work for ADF&G and there never used to be a problem finding people who wanted to work for F&G. However, now that our salaries have eroded, the Federal Gov (USFWS, BLM, USFS) is often able to lure our best potential (or current) employees away.
684	Not in my current position.
685	Only due to a airport manager imposed freeze on hiring.
686	No I haven't, but a lot of my coworkers have had problems. Some of the fish and game jobs are very demanding in many ways and its hard to get people to take these jobs. I used to work in Nome and in the Aleutians and if I was hiring there is would be and is extremely hard to find people to do the job required for the pay/benefits
687	Over the past three years it has become increasingly difficult to recruit for all our Accounting positions. When the question is posed to Accountants working in the private sector the response has continually been the States salaries for these job classes are no longer competitive with the high pay scales of the private sector.
688	Yes, we have lost good people because they can make more money in the private sector. We are down 10 people from last year in our office and we cannot hire, but the Juneau UI Claim Center can because they are looked at as a feeder ground for the rest of Labor central office.
689	yes
690	Yes, in the Cartography job class. Mostly getting applicants right out of school with little or no practical work experience.
691	N/A
692	Yes. As every State employee knows, salaries have not kept up with inflation.
693	Yes, the position has not been posted on Workplace Alaska
694	No, but its very hard for Admin. clerks to keep up with increases in living expenses.
695	Offered the position of Local Government Specialist III (Range 17) to three different people who turned it down due to the salary. One was from private sector, one from federal employment with differential pay and one from state at a higher range. In all instances the job was taken by less qualified who required intensive training and mentoring.
696	No
697	Yes, it doesn't seem to matter if you are looking for clerks or for specialists or technical engineers we have a very difficult time finding applicants that meet the minimums for the jobs as well as finding any applicants at all in some cases.
698	Yes. Nurses are paid anywhere from 6-10 dollars more an hour in the lower 48. In the past 5 years we have had a 45% turnover in personel. We are constantly interviewing and training new help which drains a budget.
699	Yes. We have had to go national searches for several jobs to get qualified employees. Several interviewees declined the postion when they reviewed wages and benefits leaving critical postions open for 6 months to a year.
700	Yes, particularly in Bush locations.
701	Yes. We are unable to attract trooper sergeants to apply for promotion to lieutenant. When they leave PSEA to go to SU, they lose OT eligibility and the SU pay scale is too low for the way too many hours/week that trooper managers(lieutenants, captains, majors) put in.
702	I supervise and train up to 20 seasonal employees 4 months out of the year. I have a hard time filling vacancies in my section and resort to an open recruitment for 90 days.
703	The Workplace Alaska process is a love / hate relationship for managers. I love not having to rely on DOP for everything. But that comes with a price. DOP passed on the initial review of MQ to the hiring manager. In the past this has been a big job because of so many applicants. Lately because of less applicants, that is not the case, but it still seems DOP should review the MQ (this is tuff because you don't want them to hold up interviews)of those we select to interview. I had a situation where I had two vacancies and thought I had two very qualitfied candidates (promotional staff). Did the interviews and then HR determined (even after appeal) they didn't meet MQ.
704	It is becoming increasingly difficult without either PERS or good salaries.
705	Yes, private sector wages are better than ours and the new contribution plan is not favorable to new employees.
706	Yes, our accounting tech. II position. We only had one applicant and the job was posted for 14 days. We have to post it again to try and get a job pool to choose from.
707	The qualities of the applicant I have recevcied is hard. Most of my positions are entry level and many very over qualified people apply to get the foot in the door. The rest leave very little to choose from.
708	Yes, engineering assistants and engineers. Recent pay increases should help, but may not be enough. Was only half the market based pay differential findings. Coupled with less attractive retirement, may still be a problem to find employees. Admin Clerk positions appear to be low wage and difficult to retain as they will always be seeking a higher wage.
709	State personnel decides what and who is quallified, let us determine and let us offer pay to compensate.
710	rural areas - cost more to live than the COlA amount pays for so people go backwrads and refuse to work in the bush communities.
711	Yes.
712	Yes, why should a person want to work for fish and game in which they could make twice as much in a jewlery store and not have any labor. The Pay is increadibly low, and we can not retain, or obtain quilified employees.
713	Not yet, but I've seen a decrease in the number of highly qualified applicants. Any uptick in the economy will produce a tipping point though.
714	no
715	Due to our operating location (South East Alaska), it is difficult at times to bring in Qualified folks. Instead, we usualy need to "coach them up".
716	yes
717	It has varied. I am probably negligent in not explaining to folks not already working for the state that they would be making a mistake to hire on under Tier 4 but since Tier 4 I have hired people that already work for the state.
718	In certain jobs positions yes. The job pool is thin. This has been a result of a combination of factors. In the biological fields it's due to the creation and expansion of Federal Agencies that oversees or duplicate state managers work. This along with the state employees on the 20 year retirement where many eithered retired or jumpied ship to a Federal Agency to pick up another paycheck. Oftentimes, former coworkers went to a position of an equal job class of better pay with the Feds but have very little responsibilities. This makes for poor state morale. Also, the state retiremnet/benefit package is so poor (tier III, IV), that potential employees are immediatley turned-off and look elsewhere.
719	yes. Hard to explain. We are a unique operation.
720	THE PAY
721	Yes, either the quallification expectations are too high or they can find other employment outside of the State with higher pay and or better benefits.
722	Yes. Low pay and new retirement has become an issue.
723	not really--I thinking finding and retaining qualified supervisors is a much bigger problem. Without strong supervisors recruitment, training and retaining is made more difficult. Doing the work of employees who won't/can't work at the level desired is an issue especially when one inherits them.
724	Yes, It seems we have less skilled labor for skilled jobs.
725	My job includes the oversight of oil companies. Currently some GGU employee positions within ADNR do not meet the technical requirements for some field positions. Grade 16 and 18s are being hired using current position classifications; Natural Resource Specilist 2 and3. Technical oversight is currently being conducted by individuals without proper training or expirence. We (the State) had an opportunity to change hiring criteria/classification through recent position reviews (ADNR was one of the 1st) but within the SPCO, affected individuals working outside of their job description were excluded from being interviewed by DOA. This was INTENTIONAL and by coordinated by a SU Section Manager that has since retired from the State and with full knowlege of the past Pipeline Coordinator. At the time I was in the GGU and found out about the interviews (on the way to the bathroom)months after the interviews were conducted by DOA and later found information within my personnel folder that was maintianed by a past Admin SU employee, that stated my job desription was current when it was over 6 years old and did not reflect my position at the time of review. This document was signed by a past St Pipeline Coordinator. Why do you need to hear this? Within the GGU, the SU is looked as a tool for DOA and what I just described is a great example.The SU needs a backbone and ethics to protect the employees (both SU and GGU)from the politcos down south and others appointed as Directors.... Why didn't I grieved this - to many years in State employment to trust this processs.
726	YES, there is no room for advancement in these positions. I also feel that based on the position responsibilities, the pay range is not adequate.
727	yes - we're getting more inexperienced people (people are not moving up in the system and the job pool is thinner)
728	It is impossible to recruit qualified employees and keept hem for any lenght of time. Part of the issue is pay; the other part is a classification system that is completely broken.
729	I supervise two staff. In the past three years I have had to recruit for these positions four times and on one occasion had both positions vacant. Currently one of these positions is vacant.
730	I have not, but know of many others that have. The qualified people I've hired, came to work here because of the people that work in our program office.
731	I have had difficulty recruiting. I advertised for a Grade 19 professional engineer position for 8 weeks before I received a single applicant.
732	No, I supervise people all working below range 14, so I have not had problems filling those lower level positions. I would say that it is hard to keep people for any time in range 7 or 8 positions (Admin. clerk I and II), because the salaries are so low. Anyone who takes a range 7 or 8 job must also have a spouse who works in order to survive up here.
733	Yes. Employees in the range 7 - 12 ranges have complained that their pay is less than they were making in private industry. When we talk to them about the retirement benefits, etc., that makes some sense to them but doesn't help them pay their bills this month.
734	Yes. I have a R21 supervisory position in Workplace AK. Got only 2 candidates, neither of them highly qualified. Many older and experienced workers chosing to stay at high level technical positions rather than assume managerial/supervisory duties -- there is NO benefit to working SU hours or the stress involved. When these workers retire, recruitment will be VERY difficult.
735	Yes, hiring professional level (range 18 and above) is impossible, the private sector is depleteing our ranks.
736	Yes, number of recruits has dropped. With the new Tier IV, poor pay, and decrease in health benefits, state jobs are more of a "steping stone" or temporary job while looking for something better.
737	Yes. It is very difficult to fill Engineering positions. Get the Tier I retirement system back.
738	I have been a supervisor for year with 3 employees, all of which have remained on the job.
739	Yes. Especially since the implementation of Tier 4, we have seen a marked reduction in the number of qualified applicants for entry level positions. It is not uncommon to have to post and then re-post, sometimes more than once, on Workplace Alaska, to get qualified applicants.
740	Yes, private sector and federal positions pay biologists more than the state. Staff are still leaving for federal positions.
741	I have had to select persons whom I had judged to have attitude and apptitude to learn on the job rather than fully qualified individuals.
742	Yes. I work at DOT&PF and the engineers I supervise benifited from the market based pay study. However, I anticipate that recruiting qualified engineers and engineering assistants will contiue to be a problem here in Juneau. The cost of living is high (I used to live in Anchorage so I can make that comparison at least) and wages have not kept up with the increased cost of living over the years. Wages are not competitive with comparable federal positions, nor are wages copetitive with the private sector. Benifits have been reduced over the years and finding new engineers will contiue to be a challange.
743	I recruited all summer for temp Analyst Programmer II and III. I did not get any qualified candidates. I am currently recruiting for A/P III and IVs. The pool of candidates is poor.
744	pool has been limited but able to hire and keep employees in this classification
745	Yes. Tier IV retirement and non-competitive salaries definitely have hindered recruitment. We tend to get new graduates which then leave for higher pay elsewhere once they have some work experience behind them.
746	Yes, I had difficulty recruiting a range 16 assistant. Difficulty finding student/college interns candidates. Have difficulty finding technicians with Fisheries interests or experience.
747	Yes, because of wages, retirement, and health benefits state has to offer vs. outside employers. Outside employers can meet or beat what state has to offer.
748	YES. Biologist jobs are not attractive for many reasons, including: 1. short seasons for seasonal employees, and no budget to lengthen seasons even when there is enough work to justify doing so; 2. pay is better elsewhere; 3. good state retirement program has been trashed; 4. caliber of projects and workforce in general not as high as it once was, or as they may be elsewhere; 5. lack of support and interest in pressing fisheries and ecological issues by Administration and Legislature; 6. dismal environmental record of recent Administration and Legislatures will harm our fisheries to the extent that the best management in the world cannot overcome it.
749	Yes, and one of the major sticking points is on the high health insurance cost and low state contribution.
750	Yes, it is difficult to hire highly qualified people at SCCC.

751	Recruiting qualified applicants is an issue; retention not so much an issue as the level of personnel could be increased substantially. The "overtime" would end.
752	Yes, salary and lack of benefits makes it difficult to attract workers to the state
753	yes
754	We have trouble recruiting IT professional do to the terrible compensation plan we have to offer. We are not competetive in the marketplace.
755	Not personally, but know of other positions that have had difficulities, i.e., engineers, nursing, etc.
756	No. However, I have sat on a number of interview teams interview prospective candidates because the turnover has been high w/in DEC. During these times, it has been apparent that few qualified persons have applied.
757	Yes. Large turnover for Admin Clerk III positions.
758	It's taking almost a year to fill the open positions in my group.
759	Yes Yes Yes. We lost 6 employees to federal jobs in a short time. One of these we had sponsored for a PhD at the university of Washington. All got pay raises of 20-50%, reduced responsibilites, and improved working conditions. Recruiting is impossibly difficult. We have had to hire people from Sweden, N. Zealand, China, Russia, Italy, and Canada because they have green cards and cannot take federal jobs. We do not get many applicants, and we gravitate to those who can communicate and are trainable.
760	YES!!
761	Yes. Newer employees find the federal government to be a more generous employer and have departed after recieving training.
762	not my staff but I have sat on numerous hiring teams over the last 3 to 5 years and many times there is only 1 good candidate out of 5. The pool usually shallow for Juneau positions due to the cost of living and current salary schedule.
763	Especially administative support. What has happened to the job class study?
764	Yes, many positon within ADF&G are filled by less experienced people than in the past due to few experienced applicants. Higher level jobs are not worth applying for considering the pay for the work load. Employees are leaving State service for higher paying (less work) federal jobs and because of the declining benefit packages.
765	Yes, my professional level positions (NC II, PHS II, HMP II and III) both SU and GGU generally take 9-12 months or more-one position has taken two years to fill. Retention has not been as much of an issue. Once we have them, they have generally been very happy working with my section and then stay on. The pay though is a huge factor for nursing however.
766	Yes, private sector and health orgs are offering more salary and benefit without the stress and workload issues inherant in Child protective services.
767	N/A
768	yes, I advertised for over two months for a professional position, I only received 2 qualified applicants, and one of those was already an employee.
769	Yes. We are especially having trouble recruiting into Juneau. Employees are coming to us with less experience and turn over of newer employees seems to be more frequent than the long term employees under the older benefit Tiers.
770	Yes. For example, Research Analysts perform an extremely important function in providing the Executive and Legislative branches with information that can tell them which programs and initiatives are succeeding and failing, but we had a Research Analyst position vacant for over a year because the private sector pays better and is more rewarding from a personal and professional perspective. Why should a research analyst with good computer and analytical skills work for the state, when we don't pay competitively and no one seems to appreciate their work?
771	Yes. I've had a difficult time recruiting but I've been lucky to get some very good people who don't mind getting low pay. In particular my Administrative Manager who is a range 15 and has a greater workload and more responsibility than my range 16 coordinators in the GGU.
772	Just advertized two key Bio III positions in SEAK 1 month statewide, all applicants, got 1 applicant each position! (The retire-rehire incumbants) HB161 expires 7/1/2009. Knowlede Transfer plan required ignores why have the shortage of applicants and casting out to a broader pool is not the best approach to long term hiring. We need apprenticeship programs, ie hire from experienced people within the ranks, ie Bio I almost non-existant, Bio IIs need to be retained for later promotion.
773	Yes. Very limited applicant pool. Costs in rural Alaska have proved difficult in recruitment.
774	Yes. Competition from the UAF and private sector's better pay.
775	Yes, because of the pay and benefits.
776	yes - the state is no longer offering competitive pay along with good benefits to attract new employees to the state.
777	Yes. Pay and benefits are a major factor.
778	YES YES YES. We have been attempting to recuritment for several accounting position for months now.
779	Yes, most was because of pay. Also more responisbility being added to the job. Very demanding job and has improved some with the 15% pay increase to nursing.
780	Yes, recruitment in some cases has been hampered. So far we have been able to retain employees, but with the new tier system this will undoubtedly be a severe problem in the future. Increasingly we will be training people to take jobs in the federal system where pay and benefits continue to outstrip the state's package.
781	In our area we have a very hard time recruiting qualified employees and retaining employees. I work in a rural office, and we get very few that want to come out to the bush. I am able to hire locally, but a lot of time, without CPS background.
782	The market for new hires is very thin in my accounting field, Part of the reason is the job minimum qualifications. Most do not meet these requirements. I have been told in the past they can make more money with less benefits but the money talks volumes.
783	no lots of people want the boat officer positions
784	Yes, With Tier 4 we are not getting a good applicant pool to draw from for entry level administrative positions
785	Yes and Yes I had to do a 6mo long reclass to range 20 and go to D step starting to get an entry level professional in my unit. My tech position turns over regularly because the RAI/II can't compete with inflated class pay at the same skill level in other departments.
786	I supervise a small pool of employees, I can attract employees, but with low pay they are looking for better jobs and you end up loosing them about the time they get good at what you need them to do. Then your time is consumed with hiring and training new people rather then the work that I am hired to do. I supervise staff, I was not hired to be a supervisor. Working for a hospital the importance of attracting competent/qualified people is very important.
787	Absolutely. Large difficulties 6+ years ago and have increased since then. Prior to then, we routinely had 10-20 applicants for positions, most with strong qualifications. For the last few years, we typically see 2-4 applicants, and feel fortunate if one of them approaches have qualifications. Most qualified people won't apply or withdraw their applications after applying, and the overwhelming reason is the poor pay. If we are able to hire a qualified staff, almost always they leave positions within 1-2 years for other jobs that pay 50-100% more.
788	Yes, the McGrath and Galena positions have been extremely difficult to fill and often times go empty for years. Our current cost of living/geographical differential doesn't meet the actual cost of living in these areas. Barrow receives a much higher geographical differential, but their cost of living is actually much lower than ours at this point in time. When we are paying over $5 a gallon for stove oil and gasoline, over $200 for a cylinder of propane, more per killowatt than Barrow, etc. we critically need our cost of living/geographical differential to at least be the same as Barrow.
789	Yes - applicant pools are small. I have to extend the job vacancy time period in order to get enough candidates to consider. Even then, there are fewer and fewer applicants.
790	yes,
791	I have recruited qualified and overqualified employees, but their enty level pay needs to increase so that I can retain them longer than one year.
792	We will continue to have difficulty recruiting qualified employees, and retaining them with recent and severe reductions in health coverage and retirement plans.
793	Yes. I've had quite a bit actually. Either the good people decide to withdraw interest, or I hire them and train them and then they move on to a position with better benefits. I can't see how anyone can live on a technician's wages anymore. And, if I hire someone not a local resident and they have to find a place to rent, their paycheck won't cover their expenses anymore.
794	Yes - not very many qualified applicants. The good ones you hire often want to move on b/c they can make more in the private sector.
795	Yes, a COIV is a 37.5 hour non OT eligible Correctional Officer. It is extremely hard to fill these positions. CO's do not want to apply as they loose money and loose week on week off schedule.
796	YES!!!!!! Our agency has been in a constant hiring mode over the last 4 years. When we hire them, we can't keep them here. THey are leaving to other agencies.
797	Not yet.
798	Yes. There is no incentive for young folks to stay once they are trained and the salary and benefits package is not enough to keep seasoned people.
799	Somewhat. Our hiring procedures take so long that for seasonal workers, many are already hired off to other jobs by the time our hiring process is complete. Juneau admin is usually the weakest link.
800	yes, the clerical wages are so low and with the new pers system, we've got to offer something!
801	Yes, primarilly because of the new retirement program.
802	yes
803	Yes. See above.
804	Not lately as we are a two person office and my one employee has been here for 4+ years.
805	I have noticed that the number of qualified employees applying for state jobs has declined substantally.
806	Yes, Licensed nurses just received a 15% pay hike and we still can not get enough RN's. We had one application for an evening shift RN. We are now downgrading it to an LPN.
807	No issue since I took this position in March 2006.
808	The use of Long Term Non-Permanent employees in lieu of permanent employees has greatly affected the retention rate of good employees. Too many times, this is seen as a fix to an over worked section in state government, when in reality, it creates more of a problem.
809	Salary and benefits (Teir 4) are usually not comparable to private sector.
810	Yes. I feel the minimum qualifications for some positions are too high. Can't get qualified people who I know would be great for the position. Have had to re-post jobs 2 or 3 times.
811	Difficulty hiring qualified RN's. Salary scale lags significantly behind private sector in spite on recent salary adjustments.
812	Yes -- people aren't willing to move into the supervisory ranks because pay doesn't offset the loss of overtime and yet longer hours are expected.
813	Yes, definitely, esp. with the new PERS / TERS changes. There has been a fair bit of loss to the private side, esp. w/ employees that are vested but don't have their entire careers invested in State employment.
814	Yes, I am on the 3rd round of recruitment for Acctg Clerk II. Range 16 professionals are almost impossible to find. I have had 18 new staff in my unit in 2.5 years. We are a team of 9.
815	Yes, They often leave within first year to higher paying jobs in private sector or another State department.
816	Yes. GGU positions in our office are underpaid for the type and amount of work.
817	As of to date, no.
818	Yes I have. I have had one engineering position open for about 6 months, and lost one employee because the private sector is paying significantly more that the SOA.
819	Not really.
820	YES. I have had a hard time getting qualified applicants to come to interviews. I have hired from a field of one applicant. I have seen us lose many qualified engineers to private firms. This is another result of contracting out so much work.
821	Extremely difficult to find quailified applicants for public safety positions. We have begun to hire from outside Alaska in order to attempt to find more candidates. It has not helped. We currently have approx 50 positions vacant.
822	Due to the low pay and benefits compared to other similar positions in the state it is very difficult to hire qualified personnel.
823	Yes, but they're working foreman in the LTC.
824	Yes. I was involved in the hiring of 2 highly technical positions. There were few, if any, qualified candidates, even after extending the recruitment period. For one position, the person selected for the position left in less than two weeks for a higher paying position.
825	Yes, more and more qualified applicants are migrating out of town, out of state and or don't stay in positions for long.
826	Yes, I've had a hard time recruiting qualified employees.
827	Yes, oil and gas accounting is a rather complex, specialized area and our compensation has not been competitive. We will see whether or not recent increases from market based studies are sufficient to remedy this.
828	Yes. Engineering job class.
829	Yes. Low salaries and tier 4 retirement makes it difficult to compete with private industry.
830	Yes, Even at the admin clerk II position, it has been hard to find qualified applicants with some experience or references to support their experience. Then to find the time to train them has been a huge challenge since I am already working 40+ hours per week just to try to get my regular job done then to train someone on top of that has been really hard.
831	Yes. Our recreitment process is EXTREMELY cumbersome, and salary schedules are in dire need of enhancement.
832	No
833	Yes. Quality of candidates isn't as good as it once was. Also receiving fewer applications/job announcement.
834	Yes. Qualified personnel have turned down job offers because they can get higher pay elsewhere.
835	Yes, continually looking.
836	Yes. As an admin. manager, it has always been difficult to attract and retain quality support staff in the lower ranges of SU and GGU. This has recently become even more challenging with the degradation of pay and benefits compared to like work in the private sector.
837	Yes, although I am only recently hiring folks, I have had a position advertized and have gotten less than 4 qualified applicants. By contrast, in my last organization (the feds) I typically had 15-20 applicants for any given job.
838	Noted above
839	Yes. Pay and benefits are well below other agencies, private and federal.
840	No, not in this particular unit/job.
841	Yes, the pay is not comparable to private pay. Underqualified individuals apply.
842	Absolutely. One of our biggest challenges for the past 4 years has been recruiting qualified employees (in state and out of state). Once hired, we train them, and the industry swoops in and offers them greater salary and matching or increased benefits. We are the training and proving ground for the industry - this does not bode well for the future when we are unable to retain qualified and experienced permitters.
843	Yes. Working conditions and salary.
844	Yes. It is very difficult to get 5 or more qualified applicants for mid-tier (range 16-20) positions. Retention has been OK so far.
845	Most of the job classes at DOT are not pay competitive with the consultant community. There is a steady outflow of employees, and recruitment of experienced employees from outside the department is nearly impossible.
846	Yes. It is particularly hard to recruit for positions in Juneau.
847	Yes, definitely!
848	ABSOLUTELY. The Juneau Field Probation Office currently has two field POs, and I, as the supervisor am one of them. Each of us carries a caseload of about 130 felony offenders; on top of supervising offenders, I have supervisory duties, and am also on call - the lack of money, and incrdible work/stress load is not appealing to many. Also, the current recruiting process makes it very difficult to get people hired - the application process weeds so many people out - when in reality, I'd like to know how they perform on a practical first -
849	Yes, the last 12 Planning recruitments for all Alaska residents attracted less than 5 qualified candidates. When a well-qualified candidate is selected, it's very difficult to gain approval for advanced Steps. This points to both salary and benefits deficiencies and the age of the classification specifications.
850	yes, high tech specialists are hard to come by even outside Alaska.
851	Yes, we are not competitive with Federal salaries in our upper level positions
852	the state is no longer attracting the better caliber workers. The job applicant "pool" is below par.
853	Yes, especially in lower range and entry level positions. There may be adequate numbers of applicants, however few of them are qualified or have adequate experience to fill the position at such low ranges (particularly entry level admin positions).
854	Yes. The benefits packages don't allow recruitment of top qualified engineers.
855	Yes, lost one excellent employee to a similar job whith the Fed government becuase they offered 25% higher pay.
856	yes, pay doesn't equal cost of living in Juneau
857	No, but I have seen other offices around the state in my division struggling with hiring and retention.
858	Yes. The current salaries are not competitive. The retirement plans are about equal.
859	Yes
860	YES, juneau recruitment especially. Juneau is 25% more expensive to live in than Anchorage, yet paid the same. Juneau doesnt get "new" talent, just "recycled" talent.
861	Yes
862	Yes, absolutely. This is the single most frustrating part of my job. We are able to promote from within at higher ranges, because those with several years here are motivated to stay through retirement. We have critical gaps in the Engineering Assistant and Engineer I (newly registered) ranks because pay is low and Tier 4 isn't attractive relative to what is offered in the private sector. Our foundation is crumbling. I realize this poll is for the SU, but my problems are with the GGU covered staff.
863	yes
864	no
865	Yes, qualified employees have incentive to stay
866	Of course. We have very little to offer our employees. If I were starting out, I would never sign on with any agencies as it is currently structured. I've got the "golden handcuffs" on now and will stick it out until I retire!
867	YES! Recruitment is a major issue for me, there is a constant turn over and little incentive for people to work for the State. It is hard to find qualified personnel, the quality of our work force is deteriorating because lack of people applying for State jobs due to wages and the way the State treats their employees.
868	Not yet
869	No
870	Yes. It seems that hiring employees without the specified job qualifications is okay. Then they have to be trained. I went to college and obtained my bachelors degree. I think those state employees that have degrees should receive greater pay for their qualifications and education, especially, if we are giving "free training" to new employees, just because we "need" to hire someone. Once people are hired, they stay a short time and look for job with better pay. It is a vicious cycle, especially when we have to pay approximately $50 per month out of our paycheck just to park our vehicle to come to work.
871	Yes. We don't offer enough pay, and the process through the current DOA managed Personnel system takes a extremely long amount of time to fill positions or have any personnel actions completed. When you have employees leave, you need to have positions filled in short order, not in 6 months.
872	Extrem difficulty as counselors with a master degree and CRC license are unwilling to work for state wages.
873	Yes-the pay range for Admin (clerical) staff is abhorant. I would like to see the Supervisors Union go to bat for these underpaid support staff. Without them, our programs would collapse.
874	yes. Very small applicant pools because the State isn't competitive with salary, and benefits have decreased under Tier 4.
875	Yes and yes, systemic issues at OCS.
876	Yes...IBEW is paying $10 per hour plus benefits... techs can charge their meals to the company credit card rather than have to pay up front and then get reimbursed.
877	See above!
878	Yes. The pool of potentially qualified candidates is exhausted. Anchorage is better, but Juneau does no attract people considering the poor pay compared to private sector.
879	Yes. It is difficult to hire and retain a professional level person when the pay and benefits aren't there.
880	Not in this area, but in Anchorage it was a lot harder to get qualified employees without using DMV as a stepping stone for higher paid state jobs.
881	Yes. Especially in the rural areas.
882	Yes. Due to the fact that you can make so much more money in private, and we do not have the great benefits we once did, it is hard to get and retain qualified employees.
883	Pay scale is too low. People can survive in Alaska (especially SE) at the present salaries.
884	Yes Local 71 does not screen nor train they are a hiring hall vs a union. Not as bad as APEA but almost
885	Yes, salary and tier 4 benefits package makes recruiting qualified senior level staff difficult.
886	Yes, I supervise 2 admin clerk II and one III. I have had one of the clerk II positions become a entry door into the state system for young college graduates. They stay in the position long enough to find a new position at a higher range.
887	Yes, once hired they start looking for another higher paying job. I have several who want their positions "upgraded".
888	I can't hire staff to accomplish the work we have to do.
889	Yes, have had submit recruitments several times due to lack of interest or applicants that did not meet MQs. Had to reclass positions to get an applicant then reclass back to orginal classification after hired.
890	Yes we have had significant difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified engineering and technical personel and have had some positions remaining unfilled for more than a year.
891	Yes. State jobs are no longer competitive. Erosion of benefits, especially medical and retirement does not provide incentives to prospective employees.
892	Yes, biggest complaintis wasting $ on union dues
893	There is a shrinking and aging pool of qualified employees. Young people with any amount of education are not coming to work for the state. Wages and now the retirement plan are the problem.
894	Yes. Qualified employees don't want to do more work for smaller salaries than private sector will pay and now, especially with the new tier, benefit packages offered by the State are not better than private sector.
895	Yes. The pool of qualified applicants has significantly decreased with the new retirement system (Tier IV).
896	Yes. Posting at a realistic range, then allowing employees to be promoted to a higher range.
897	Not for my area - but other regions of the state indicate this IS a big problem
898	Not in this office, but Fairbanks doesn't offer the variety of positions outside government that Anchorage does. That's where the problem lies.
899	Yes, I used to get a pool of qualified candidates, now I barely get a puddle. My last recruitment I had two applicants that met MQ's and I felt fortunate.
900	Unable to recruit QUALIFIED employees and feel badly about offering a job at such reduced salery levels. People can't live on these wages.
901	yes
902	Yes, it is very difficult to recruit and retain Micro Computer Network Tech and Specs. Once you get one trained they get poached by another dept. It's hard to get technically qualified applicants in Juneau also.
903	Yes! We now have three technical positions open and after three 10 day recruitments we may have 2 qualified candidates. This has been a continual problem for us. We have had to do multiple recruitments and advertise in the paper to fill range 18 positions.
904	yes Engineers and Engineers Assistants are had to find. Most times we don't have anyone appling for these jobs.
905	Extreme problem hiring most canidates are not qualified or under qualified. Our wages are not competitve.
906	Yes. The wages are too low.
907	Yes. I loose employees regularly due to the low pay. Once they are trained, they move on to better paying jobs.
908	Yes mostly because of the pay and they know CF personnel is overworked.
909	Yes. I belive this is associated with the erosion of state benefits (retirement especially) without a corresponding increase in pay, which makes our jobs less competitive. Young professionals are willing to take these jobs to gain experience, but tend to seek federal employment where salaries are higher and expectations are lower.
910	We have had a great amount of difficulty recruiting qualified employees for our grant administrators and had very little reponse to a current opening for a Building Management Specialist. The State wages are not competitive.
911	YES! I have had to recruit for one position 3 times because the pool of qualified applicants have been either none or no more than three. I have another position that I am recruiting for and have no qualified applicants and will have to extend the application close date in hopes of getting someone who qualifies. I have been told and know from experience; qualified people are not willing to accept pennies with few benefits from the state when they can work for the private sector making more money with better benefits.
912	We have in jobs belonging toother unions but not in SU positions at this location, Kenai.
913	Not yet.
914	Yes, state salaries and benefits are no longer competitive. Retention: current over-time rules are restrictive. Most GGU members would prefer comp time. Supervisory staff that I supervise put in a lot of over-time with no way to get compensated. Would like to be able to give them comp time without them having to enter a formal Flex-time Agreement. Under the formal Flex-time Agreement, employees have to work 50 hours in the week before they can earn any flex time and even then they only get partial credit for the hours worked. Supervisors feel that is unfair.
915	No. We get highly qualified individuals.
916	In some of areas of the region, yes. Other area's it is much easier. Our region covers a vast geographical area and it is harder to recruit and retain in rural communities.
917	Yes I have had a hard time keeping employees onboard the P/V Stimson due to lack of benefits and job location.
918	Yes...this will get worse before this "house of cards" collapes.
919	The only qualified employees we have been able to recruit are people who want to stay in Alaska (or Fairbanks) or want more time with their families. The last two emlpoyees hired have take substantial pay cuts to come to work for the State. I have just had an employee offered a 50,000 signing bonus to leave his current employment.
920	Yes, when I first started being a Supervisor 8 years ago. I used to have 50 applicants for the clerical positions. The last time I hired was in November, and I only had 12 applicants. To me that says a lot about State wages not keeping up with the market or with inflation. I have been told that the Borough hires clerks starting positions at $19.00 an hour our clerks start out at $13.82.
921	Yes. Hiring is particularly difficult since there is no educational opportunity for my profession in Alaska and Alaska salaries are not competitive with other states, particularly the West Coast and Pacific Northwest.
922	Yes.
923	In the engineering series I have had problems hireing qualified individuals only the dregs that have worked for the state before and want their tier I benefits apply.
924	Yes, with the change in tier, it will probably be necessary to reveiw all positions to determine market pay for positions in order to be able to compete with the private sector.
925	Over half of my employees are temporary employees who leave for permanent jobs. This has been a pattern since 2002. I also have Range 14 Specialists representing the Governor & the State during initial disaster response to rural areas. Grades need to be higher.
926	Not yet though my section has been fairly stable and the one position I hired 2 years ago attracted a superb candidate who was already in a State position outside of the field, and one who had a work ethic.
927	Yes, due to wages and changes to R & B
928	yes
929	Yes, I have a position open now that closes tomorrow and I only have 6 applicants, and half of them are not qualified. I had to fill this same position two years ago. I had twice that number of applicants two years ago.
930	Yes! However, I believe it is an internal problem with the restrictive recruitment process the Dept. of Correcitons has implemented.
931	I have been interviewing and hiring individuals since 1990 in what used to be a very attractive job, now with the new tier and low wages, it is very difficult. We used to hire the "best of the best" and sometimes have situations where we hire the "best of the worst"
932	Yes. Applicants tend not to thoroughly read the WorkPlace AK requirements for the job; and when hired, most leave fairly soon due to the low wages of the position.
933	Yes. I have had unfilled vacancies for a year or more, especially in the more remote areas of the state.
934	Yes. Recently recruited nationwide. Got no applications from people living in Alaska and working for State of Alaska.
935	I've had no problem with recruiting qualified employees or retaining them.
936	Yes.
937	Due to many positions being "seasonal" and not permanent, quality applicants don't always apply.
938	yes, pay & benefits too low
939	Yes. Most of the LOAI applicants have no legal experience at all. Makes training much more remedial and longterm.
940	For the amount of work that is required for these positions it is very difficult to retain employees with the current pay and benefits.
941	Yes, it is very difficult to recruit qualified employees, in light of the fact, Sewards job pool is very small.
942	Not yet, but I have not had any turnover in a number of years. I suspect I would have great difficulty filling upper level positions today and might consider retiring myself if faced with a major personnel turnover rather than face the problem of being unable to recruit qualified personnel for highly technical positions with a high learning curve.
943	Absolutely. This is a huge issue affecting many different departments. I completed 40 hiring processes over the past 3.5 years as part of a program change. I statistically noticed that the recruitment period increased dramatically from 2-3 weeks to 5-7 months to attact a pool of eligible and qualified individuals. (The increasing amount of time positions remain vacant adds strain on the existing employees and causes additional employees to leave further destabilizing the workforce.) Some positions were vacant as much as they were filled. The applicant pools over the past 3.5 years have become increasingly smaller with fewer and fewer qualified applicants applying. We are more and more frequently recruiting out of state individuals who have limited if any familiarity with Alaska which results in increased training time at additional expense. Many of the out of state recruits might be termed "adventure seekers" who stay for limited time periods such as 6 months to 2 years. We've had several individuals leave state service for higher paying jobs in the private sector. The salary and benefit packages have reportedly have been 30- 40% more than the state's package for a comparable position. The tier IV 401(k) package currently offered new recruits does not build a committed workforce or provide a good human resource return on investment. If we as hiring managers must now spend 15% or more of our time recruiting and then training but do not retain an employee for more than 1-3 years, we are losing on our investment. I feel strongly that this is a significant economic issue facing the state. The ability to hire talented individuals from a competitive pool and then train and retain them is essential if the state wants to develop its natural resources and provide basic public services.
944	Yes. Finding enough engineers is difficult, and we need assistance recruiting outside of Alaska.
945	Yes. Federal jobs pay more.
946	Yes, we've had to bring back retired employees as non-perms because we can't get qualified applicants.
947	Yes, some leave for higher paying private sector jobs, some move to higher paying positions - but I can't fault them for trying to move up in the field.
948	Fortunately for me, I have not had to personally recruit for positions I supervise. But, I do know that within my division, we have trouble recruiting for employees, especially in the rural areas.
949	Yes.
950	The changes in the Grants Administrator classifications has made it more difficult to recruit qualified individuals through the lowering of the minimum qualifications. We interviewed one applicant for the journey level Grants Administrator II position who asked in the interview "What does a grants administrator do?" This person met the minimum qualifications for the position under the lowered requirements.
951	Yes. My staff (48) is primarily LTC skilled craft. I have had difficulty hiring due to the wage disparity with commercial competition.
952	When I have hired good employees they usually leave for better paying jobs.
953	Absolutely. The Division of Forestry always has a hard time recruiting. A classification study is underway that may improve the situation.
954	Of course, the most qualified will go where they can make a good living. If the salaries and/or geograhic differential aren't appropriate for the profession and duty station, then the younger workers with new families will go somewhere where they can afford a home and have a life.
955	Yes. It is getting harder for me to obtain enough money to run long term projects that will require long term seasonal positions. If you cant recruit technicians for 3 to 5 month positions then you will not get many qualified applicants.
956	Yes. The benefits and pay package is NOT competitive relative to the amount of work expected.
957	Losing employees to federal agencies and private contractors
958	yes, salary and benefits are better in the private sector.
959	Yes, few and sometimes no applicants.
960	There has been a drastic decrease in qualified candidates in the last few years. They can get better pay and benefits in the private sector.
961	yes, difficulty hiring good biologists
962	Currently, I hire range 10 positions and haven't had a difficult time hiring. However, I have a very hard time retaining the employees. They tend to leave for upgrades within the department. A person can't live on a range 10 salary. When I was in a different office I hired positions at much high ranges and it was very difficult to find professional people with experience, and again it was very difficult to retain them. These people tended to leave for either the private sector or other state jobs that didn't require the same level of time and effort.
963	Some. Lots to do with wages.
964	Yes. A biometrician I position has remained vacant for over 7 years, because the last time we tried to hire for it we got no interest. Then after 2-3 years it was decided I could do all the work.
965	Yes, because of the low standard used for pay rank
966	Yes
967	about half and half. Although the trend is for less qualified people as the years and costs go by.
968	Yes. The state beneifts are so poor now that very few eligible people even apply for state positions. Thos that do, are so overworked that several leave before they are completely trained or as soon aSZ their training is complete.
969	Yes. Because we hire "admin clerk III" positions they get paid that salary, although they do much more work than most admin clerk III's.
970	Yes. In the rural district I work in there is a very limited number of qualified persons living within the locale and one of my positions remained vacant for a year before a qualified applicant was hired. Additionally, the "COLA" is no longer enough to offset the cost of living increases in this area which detracts from the former incentive to qualified state employees to relocate for what once used to be premium pay. Further, I suspect it will become even more difficult to fill the positions in this district as vacancies continue to occur, given the aforementioned, the increase in workload, and the increased pressures to avoid filing for overtime.
971	Yes. Lower level positions tend to be used as training grounds and you lose them, causing supervisors to spend much time retraining. There should be ways to promote or award monetarily deserving emplooyees. The experience lost when an employee leaves is way more expensive than just a salary.

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Last Updated January 14, 2007