State employee turnover down

AUSTIN (AP) - An auditor's report has found that state employee turnover dropped in fiscal year 2009.

Turnover for full- and part-time employees decreased to 14.4 percent, down from 17.3 percent in 2008. That's the lowest rate in the past five years.

The State Auditor's Office report released Wednesday said several factors are involved: Employee salaries increased, state agencies implemented retention programs and the overall Texas
unemployment rate increased.

The highest turnover rate among large state agencies came at the Texas Youth Commission, where turnover was 31.3 percent. It's attributed largely to the number of departing correctional
officers. But that rate was down slightly from a year earlier.

When "involuntary separations" and retirements are excluded, the overall state employee turnover rate was 8.1 percent in fiscal 2009.