The city of San Diego's high employee vacancy rate is caused in part by an inefficient hiring process, according to a report released this week by the Office of the City Auditor.
The report published Tuesday states that city administration should take a more active role in the hiring process, which takes nine months on average to complete.
Applicants started their jobs with the city on average more than seven months after they applied, according to the report.
By comparison, the report cites a 2018 study that found local governments took an average of 130 days to fill open positions. The sample of San Diego city positions examined for the City Auditor's report took 42% longer than that to fill.
"The city's lengthy hiring process likely contributed to many positions remaining vacant for more than 14 months," according to the report.
As a result, a high number of positions are vacant at a given time, impacting city services and causing an increased workload for existing employees, the report states. The long wait between applying and getting hired also leads many applicants to look elsewhere for work.
The Office of the City Auditor cited comments from the mayor and city council members, in which they "expressed concern regarding the high vacancy rate (15 percent), as it is affecting the city's ability to provide public services."
Among the City Auditor's recommendations to streamline the process is to have city administrators identify key goals for its hiring departments, such as how long each step in the process should take. The report states that the hiring process requires more than 60 steps and occurs without sufficient oversight or guidance from city administration.
Hiring departments should also be allowed to commence the hiring process as soon as they are aware of an upcoming vacancy, the report states. Previously, hiring departments could not begin the process until a position was actually vacant, as opposed to when an employee put their two-week notice in.
According to the report, San Diego's Personnel Department and city administration agreed to all its recommendations.
