This report spotlights the voices of state workers, who share their experiences navigating unprecedented and historic staff turnover. The report finds that:
Low pay is the primary driver of high turnover and short staffing.
Without the pay needed to attract and retain employees, existing employees are given increasingly heavy workloads and face challenging working conditions.
In this context, state employees experience high levels of stress, low morale, and burnout,
Short staffing leads to a decline in the quality of services provided to everyday Texans, many of whom are children.
Workers surveyed who have remained in their jobs do so because they are committed to their agencies’ missions despite the challenging conditions. However, the burden placed upon them is heavy and unsound. The annual cost of state agency turnover is conservatively estimated at approximately $1.2 billion annually. However, the findings in this report reveal that the human toll of high workforce turnover, which is driven by low pay, is a reality that state legislators should and must continue to act on.