Austin plans campaign to fill 2,500 open city jobs. Here's what we know.

Austin city leaders are kicking off a recruiting campaign to try to fill more that 2,500 vacant jobs with the city.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman

Austin American-Statesman
Luz Moreno-Lozano - Austin American-Statesman
February 1, 2023

Austin city leaders say they are kicking off a job recruitment campaign aimed at trying to fill more than 2,500 vacancies in a number of departments across the city.  

The hiring campaign, starting Feb. 1, is the largest the city has undertaken and will target residents through print, digital, social media, radio, billboards and bus advertisements. The city expects to spend about $33,000 a month, with that spending already accounted for in the fiscal 2023 budget, City Manager Spencer Cronk said.  

“While we’ve made progress in filling positions in recent months, we know there’s more work to do,” Cronk said. “With departments intensifying their efforts to fill vacancies and our new citywide hiring campaign ready to launch, we’ll continue to do everything we can to recruit and retain talented people to deliver the services our community expects.”  

Here's what we know about the city's recruitment campaign:

Where does the city have openings? 

There are vacancies across numerous city departments, including its public safety operations, Austin Energy and Austin Water, as well as staffing shortages for lifeguards and library staff.  

The city is operating with a 16.3% job vacancy rate. The vacancy rate for public safety employees is 13.2%, according to city officials.

The city of Austin employs about 16,000 people, Cronk said.  

Cronk said this is a trend that is being felt nationally, and it has been hard to address in a single way. But the city is working to get that rate down to about 10%, which is the norm that was seen before the pandemic hit in 2020.  

“Every department has their own recruiting strategies,” he said. “But this is a cohesive way to expand our universe of ways to explore jobs in the city.”  

How does the city plan to proceed? 

Cronk said the city has prioritized recruitment and retention efforts, including increases in pay. In August, the City Council greenlighted an across-the-board 4% increase for city staff – the largest increase in more than two decades – along with a 33% increase in the minimum wage for city employees, raising that to $20 for most workers.  

Cronk said that increase has already led to a higher volume of applications and more hires.  

 “The city offers competitive market salaries and provides great health, retirement and other benefits,” Cronk said. “We are also bound by the need to maintain tax- and ratepayer affordability, so we're conscious of the need to find the right balance. We're confident that our new campaign will increase awareness of the many job opportunities available.” 

The hiring campaign also includes:  

• Prioritizing critical vacancies.
• Using outreach and targeted recruitment to reach underrepresented communities.
• Expanding reach via job fairs; professional and trade organizations; conferences; graduate programs; college campuses; citywide affinity groups; and social media. 
• Creating recruitment videos and flyers with QR codes for quick access to job postings. 
• Simplifying application processes, including eliminating requests for cover letters and making them more mobile-friendly. 
• Making preferred qualifications more flexible. 
• Making sure candidates are aware of benefits and vacation time as part of offers. 
• Implementing flexible schedules and telework opportunities to support work-life balance. 
• Having audits and regular surveys of employees to analyze and improve hiring processes and retain employees. 
• Creating paid internships and apprenticeship positions, with supervision opportunities for existing staff to help with career advancement. 
• Hiring and retention bonuses for employees in positions experiencing high rates of turnover.
• Offering incentives for employees who refer new hires. 
• Increasing budgets to support professional certifications, training and associations. 
• Hiring additional human resources advisers to assist hiring managers. 

How will the city measure success for the campaign? 

Cronk told the American-Statesman that city staffers will evaluate in six months where vacancies are, and what worked and what didn’t.

“We plan to learn from it and find other ways to get the information out there,” Cronk said.  

But the city expects vacancy rates to remain a challenge for the rest of the year, so Cronk said the city plans to continue its efforts as long as needed.  

To look at current city openings and apply, you can visit www.austincityjobs.org. The city’s annual job fair and career expo is slated for April 12. The event is free.