Report shows recruitment and vacancy improvements in state jobs after reducing degree requirements

The Delaware Department of Human Resources says replacing a bachelor’s degree requirement with relevant experience in some state jobs has a noticeable impact.

The department recently released a report assessing the change focused on Family Service Specialist, Human Resource Advisor, State Human Resource Analyst, and Probation and Parole positions.

It shows Family Service Specialist positions saw a 6% reduction in vacancy rates, 575% increase in applicants, and a 13% decrease in non-qualified applicants.

There was a 7% vacancy rate reduction in Human Resource Advisor and State Human Resource Analyst roles in 2023, and a 4% reduction in 2024 with applications increasing by 9% and non-qualified applicants decreasing by 13%.

Probation and Parole Officer positions had a 0% vacancy rate in 2023 and 7% rate in 2024 with applications increasing by 18% and non-qualified applicants decreasing by 48%.

Department of Human Resources Secretary Claire DeMatteis says the report recommends looking at more positions in the future.

“Continuing to look at other job classifications that have a bachelor’s degree to determine if it’s necessary,” said DeMatteis. “Like I said, there’s 81% of our state jobs do not require a degree of any kind, and I think that it’s important to keep in perspective we’re literally talking about 17% of state jobs that previously required a bachelor’s degree that the Department of Human Resources will continue to look at.”

DeMatteis notes the report shows reducing the degree requirements reduced barriers, diversified the applicant pool and improved workforce inclusivity. 

“We haven’t lowered our standards. The applicants are still incredibly qualified, but by eliminating a bachelor’s degree for some of these jobs, we’ve been able to make state jobs more accessible and to further diversify our state workforce,” said DeMatteis.

DeMatteis adds reviewing degree requirements is part of a larger strategy to boost hiring and make state jobs more accessible.

She notes the state has included an aggressive marketing campaign for state jobs, higher salaries, and signing and retention bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs like nurses and correction officers.