Research Report

A PROFILE OF THE
FLORIDA GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE
Information to Help Improve Florida's
Performance and Productivity

The following information¹ is presented as part of Florida TaxWatch's continuing effort to inform taxpayers and government officials on important matters relating to Florida government. This report focuses on employees in the State Personnel System².

As of December 31, 1996 there were 169,414 full time equivalent state employee positions in the State Personnel System, the State University System and the State Courts System³. The average employee in the State Personnel System was 42 years old and had worked for the state for nine years.

Of the 169,414 full time positions 114,580 were in the State Personnel System, as follows: 110,901 persons such as social workers, law enforcement officers, technicians and secretaries, were Career Service employees; 3,200 middle managers and professionals such as doctors and lawyers were in the Selected Exempt Service; and 479 policy-making and upper management people were in the Senior Management Service. Figure 1 shows the number of employees in each category during the past four years.

As of December 31, 1996, Florida had 122.3 full time state employees per 10,000 population versus a national average of 150.4 employees. Florida ranks lowest in this category among the 14 southeastern states and is third lowest (behind California at 104.1 and Illinois at 113.9) among the nation's ten most populous states.

Nearly half (47.8%) of the state work force is located in North Florida (north of Marion County), with the remainder nearly equally distributed in the central and southern regions. The north's disproportionate share results from the location of the state capital (there are more than 21,000 employees in Tallahassee) and a large number of correctional and social services institutions. The two most populous counties, Dade and Broward, together have nearly 16,000 state employees.

The average 1996 salary for all State Personnel System employees (Career Service, Selected Exempt Service and Senior Management Service) was $26,014 and the median salary was $21,377. More than 35,000 (39.8%) full time career employees earned less than $20,000 annually while fewer than 5,000 (3.2%) earned more than $45,000.

Following no change in FY 1991 and 1992, Florida state government salary increases slightly exceeded the Consumer Price Index during each of the next four years. Figure 2 presents six-year Population, Inflation and Personal Income data and Figure 3 compares Florida's pay increases for the last six years with those of other selected southeastern states.

In 1996, Florida's Career Service employees averaged $24,922 in salaries (65%) and $13,230 in benefits (35%) as compensation. Selected Exempt Service employees averaged $55,971 in salaries (66%) and $28,677 in benefits (34%) and Senior Management Service employees averaged $78,981 in salaries (64%) and $44,330 in benefits (36%) as compensation. The Central and Southeastern Joint Salary Conference's 1996 data shows that top Florida managers' level of compensation ranked second (behind only Wisconsin) among 30 states surveyed.

Compensation packages for Florida's Career Service, Selected Exempt Service and Senior Management Service employees consist of about 66% salary and 34% benefits versus a national private sector average of 72% for salaries and 28% for benefits. Figure 4 compares salaries and benefits for Florida state employees in the State Personnel System by category.

"Ethnic minority" describes state employees declaring themselves as Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American/Alaskan Native or "Other." In 1996, 26.25% of Florida's state work force was Black (compared to 13.6 % in the general population); 6.90% Hispanic (compared to 12.2% in the general population); 2.30% "Other" (compared to 1.8% in the general population) and 64.55% White (compared to 83% in the general population)⁴.

The average salary for Florida's Black state employees was $22,453; Hispanic employees $25,089; employees classified as "Other" $29,938; and White employees $27,639.

Trend analysis reveals that between 1992 and 1996, minority representation increased from 34% to 36% for the Career Service System; 20% to 21% for the Selected Exempt Service; and 12% to 14% for the Senior Management Service, respectively, as shown in Figure 5.

In 1996, 54.8% of Florida's state work force was female and 45.2% was male. Interestingly, the Executive Office of the Governor was 58% male and 79% white.

The average salary of female State Personnel System (Career Service, Selected Exempt Service and Senior Management Service) employees in 1996 was $23,978 or 83.3% of males' average $28,796 salary. This is closer than the national variance of females being paid 75% the rate of males. Florida's females employees in the Career Service made 85% of males' salary; 83% in the Selected Exempt Service; and 93% in the Senior Management Service. Figure 6 presents average salaries for male and female employees in the State Personnel System over the last four years.

Florida's annual leave benefits are at or near the average of the 14 southeastern states for the first ten years of service. However, after ten years, the average for the southeastern states continues to increase whereas Florida's remains the same. Figure 7 compares Florida's annual leave schedule with that of selected southeastern states.

All of Florida's state employees receive ten paid holidays annually versus an average of 11 paid holidays for the 14 southeastern states.

Florida's Career Service employees accrue 19.5 days of annual leave and 13 days of sick leave annually after 25 years of service versus an average of 22.9 days of annual leave and 14 days of sick leave for the southeastern states for the same period of time. Selected Exempt Service employees accrue 22 days of annual leave and 13 days of sick leave. Senior Management Service employees accrue 30 days of annual leave and 15 days of sick leave.

Florida's Career Service and Selected Exempt Service employees must work ten years to be eligible for state retirement benefits. Employees in the Senior Management Service vest in seven years. Legislators and Judges vest in eight years.

The retirement benefit formula is years of creditable service times percentage value (the value received for each year of creditable service) times average final compensation (the average of the employee's five highest years of salary). Percentage value for Career Service and Selected Exempt Service employees ranges from 1.6% to 1.68% depending on age of retirement or years of service; 2% for the Senior Management Service; 3.0% for legislators; and 3.3% for judges.

In 1996, turnover (separations from Florida's state government, excluding movement within or between state agencies) in classes with 50 or more employees averaged 11.9% versus a seven-year average of 13.2%. Employee classes with the highest turnover in 1996 were Fire Tower Lookouts (43.8%), Senior Registered Nurses (31.8%), Detention Care Workers (28.3%) and Librarian Specialists (27.7%). At the other end of the spectrum, there was less than 2.5% turnover among Revenue Specialist Supervisors, Resident Assistant Park Managers, Unemployment Compensation Examiners and Senior Motor Vehicle Operators. Figure 8 shows employee classes with the highest and lowest turnover rates in 1996.

This Research Report on state employment is the first in a series of Florida TaxWatch reports assessing the structure and functions of state government. Future reports will focus on topics such as recruitment and retention, pre and in-service training, intra and inter-agency mobility, public/private employee exchange programs, performance incentive policies and practices, discipline policies and practices, and supervisory performance issues. Future reports will also compare compensation packages of state employees with other entities that are supported by state funding such as Water Management Districts, School Boards and Community Colleges.