Jim Pillen eliminates nearly 1,000 Nebraska state jobs that have been unfilled for months

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order Tuesday that will eliminate nearly 1,000 state jobs now and more in the future, saying he was delivering on a promise to run state government like a business.

The order calls for eliminating positions that have been vacant for more than 90 days, with several exceptions. In a statement, the governor said money budgeted for those positions will be redirected to other priorities or used for property tax relief.

The order came under immediate fire from Justin Hubly, executive director for the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, the largest state employee union. He said the job eliminations would leave agencies permanently short staffed, which would continue to overburden existing staff and affect citizens.

“This decision hurts all Nebraskans,” he said. “We should expect consequences, including longer lines and closures at DMV locations to continue, hold times to increase when applying for Medicaid and a slowdown in the delivery of unemployment services, just to name a few.

“Our top priority is ensuring that we can continue to provide effective and efficient services to our fellow Nebraskans,” he said.

But Pillen said money allocated for chronically vacant positions is not being used effectively and should be put to different purposes.

“These positions have been vacant for months or even years, and yet government has continued to function,” he said. “We have proven we can work without them, so we will eliminate them and return the money to the taxpayers.”

His office estimated savings from the initial round of eliminations at $39.4 million, including $15.2 million of savings to the state’s general fund. The other savings could come from federal funds or various cash funds.

Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple said the governor’s budget office would work with the Legislature on reallocating the savings as part of the regular budget process.

State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said he approved of the governor’s action, noting that Pillen has expressed a commitment to keeping up the level of government service as he works to make agencies more efficient.

As of December 2022, the state had 17,725 employees, down from 18,339 employees in 2015, according to the State Personnel Almanac. Those totals include all full-time, part-time and temporary state government employees, but not those at the University of Nebraska or the three state colleges.

Hubly said more than 1 in 5 state jobs currently is vacant and waiting for a qualified applicant to fill the position. The state, like Nebraska employers of all types, has been struggling with labor shortages.

Pillen exempts some positions, including those in his office

Pillen’s order requires jobs to be eliminated starting June 1, with additional rounds of job eliminations every 90 days after that.

However, the order does not apply to several categories of positions, including law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, children and family services specialists, and “other similar positions that directly involve public safety.”

Also exempt are positions that provide direct operational support for prisons, veterans homes and other 24-hour facilities, highway maintenance and construction workers, and positions that are not covered under the state personnel system.

The last category includes positions at the University of Nebraska, state colleges and universities, the court system, the Legislature, agency heads and top positions within state agencies. The last category also exempts the staff members of state elected officials, including positions in the governor’s office.