As detailed in the attachment, we received 46 responses to our survey on technology
staffing, summarized as follows:
Attracting and retaining IT staff is a problem for the vast majority of responding
agencies:
o 39 agencies indicated that they were concerned about attracting and retaining IT
staff.
o One agency was pleasantly surprised with the quality of applicants in a recent
recruitment; and another has not had significant problems in retaining staff.
o The other 5 agencies contract for IT support, so this was not a direct concern for
them. However, several of these that "out-source" are nonetheless concerned about
this; and in fact, this was a major factor in outsourcing IT services.
There were not a lot of "clever strategies." (Although there was a lot of interest in
them!) Raising salaries was the most common response, although one city (Santa
Monica) has used signing bonuses. The most common "soft" approaches include:
o Offering flexible hours and casual business dress.
o Paying for training and certifications.
o Providing good "tools," up-to-date technology and challenging work.
The attachment compiles all of the responses, including what we're considering in San
Luis Obispo.
Thanx to everyone who responded; and I hope the results are helpful to the rest of the
group.
Bill Statler, Director of Finance
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (805) 781-7125
Fax: (805) 781-7401
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Technology Staffing.doc
