Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced major employment gains across several critical county support departments, citing recent investments in wages, benefits, and recruitment efforts as key drivers of progress.
According to the county, staffing levels have improved significantly in Child Protective Services (CPS), public benefits examination, and youth detention facilities. County officials said years of underinvestment by prior administrations, combined with pandemic-related workforce disruptions, had led to severe staffing shortages in these essential services.
Over the past year, the Bello administration increased wages for employees in these roles by an average of 11.5 percent. In addition, the county implemented a recruitment and retention incentive program for most employees, providing quarterly payments of $500 last year. That incentive was doubled to $1,000 per quarter this year and extended through 2024.
“During the pandemic, Monroe County experienced a 50 percent vacancy rate among CPS caseworkers, which was unacceptable,” Bello said. “Caseworkers play a critical role in public safety by protecting vulnerable families and delivering essential services. For nearly a decade, salaries and benefits for these employees remained stagnant. Investing in our workforce is essential to sustaining the services our residents rely on.”
The county reports that CPS vacancies have been reduced from a high of 100 to 46. An additional class of caseworkers is scheduled to begin in June, with officials expecting remaining vacancies to be filled in the coming months. Public benefits examiner vacancies have dropped from 57 to just six. For the first time in recent memory, the county reports no vacancies among full-time youth detention workers.
To further strengthen recruitment and retention, Monroe County has implemented several additional measures. These include eliminating civil service exam fees, hiring a full-time recruiter, launching an expanded hiring campaign, holding open interview events, offering exam study sessions, and creating a 40-hour paid personal time bank for all full-time employees.
Monroe County was also among the first in New York State approved to participate in the state’s new HELP Program. The program allows for a one-year waiver of civil service testing requirements for certain job titles. Under the initiative, new hires into approved positions over the next year will not be required to take an exam to obtain permanent civil service status. Approved titles include caseworker, bilingual caseworker, examiner, bilingual examiner, and public health sanitation roles.
“Few applicants can afford to wait nearly a year to complete exams and receive results before being hired,” Bello said. “This program allows us to move qualified candidates into critical positions more quickly, and I commend the state for helping streamline the process.”
The county is continuing recruitment efforts through a new media campaign and increased in-person outreach at job fairs, colleges, and community events throughout 2023.
County officials also highlighted progress within Child Protective Services following years of state oversight. In 2015, CPS was cited by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for multiple compliance and safety issues. By 2018, the state required outside monitoring of the division. In 2020, the Bello administration commissioned an independent review to address systemic concerns.
In 2022, the state lifted heightened monitoring requirements, citing confidence in the county’s ability to sustain improvements made over the previous three years.
“I commend the CPS staff for their dedication to continuous improvement and protecting children in our community,” Bello said. “The progress achieved reflects their hard work and commitment.”
Residents interested in learning more about open positions with Monroe County can find additional information through the county’s employment resources.
