New York Governor Hochul Giving More State Employees A Pay Raise

The Empire State employs many people. At last count, more than 290,000 people were on the state's payroll, giving New York one of the largest workforces in the nation.

According to the New York State Budget, the state pays its employees more than $19 billion in payroll expenses annually. Just a few weeks after New York Governor Hohcul gave raises to around 2,100 staff members, another group of state employees will see a nice bump in their pay soon.

Professional Engineers and Other New York Staff Getting Raises

Governor Hochul announced earlier this week in Albany, New York, that approximately 2,600 more state employees are getting a pay bump.

New Yorkers rely on the skills and expertise of engineers to build roads and bridges, construct large scale buildings, and prevent disasters from occurring... Engineering and the licensed positions that support it are some of the most competitive jobs in the world, and after extensive study of the job market, it is clear that state government needs to do more to attract a world class talent pool to New York’s public sector. The investment in these geographic pay differentials is a smart investment in the future of the Empire State.
-Kathy Hochul, New York State Governor

The raises, which range from $7,000 to $13,500, take effect this week and apply to professional engineers, architects, land surveyors, landscape architects, geologists, and other professional positions that require certain licenses. The staff who work in 18 different state agencies will immediately see these pay increases in their next paychecks. The increases will help keep public service jobs competitive with their private sector equivalent positions.

The New York State Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Department of Health will see the most employees get raises as they have the largest number of licensed professionals.

These aren't the only state employees getting a raise, as the New York State Thruway Authority is also planning to increase pay before the end of the year.