December 12, 2024 — Governor Kathy Hochul announced this month the approval of pay increases for professional engineers, architects, land surveyors, landscape architects and geologists across New York State. In a press release, the governor touted the increases as an effort to recruit and retain state workers. About 2,600 employees, the majority of them PEF members, will benefit.
“New Yorkers rely on the skills and expertise of engineers to build roads and bridges, construct large scale buildings, and prevent disasters from occurring,” Governor Hochul said in her announcement. “Engineering and the licensed positions that support it are some of the most competitive jobs in the world, and after extensive study of the job market, it is clear that state government needs to do more to attract a world class talent pool to New York’s public sector. The investment in these geographic pay differentials is a smart investment in the future of the Empire State.”
The pay increases will impact eligible employees at about 20 state agencies. The agencies with the highest number of affected employees include the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Department of Health and the Office of General Services. The increases come in the form of geographic pay differentials (geos) and an increased hiring rate (IHR).
IHRs boost the hiring rate to a higher step in a title’s pay schedule. In this case, the approved IHR for engineering titles sets the hiring rate to step 4. Employees currently below step 4 will see their salary increased to this step and new hires will be hired at step 4.
The IHR only applies to positions in the approved titles in Bronx, Queens, Dutchess, Richmond, Kings, Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk, New York, Sullivan, Orange, Ulster, Putnam and Westchester counties. The approved titles are varied and include Architect 1, Landscape Architect 1, Professional Engineer 1, several Assistant positions, Mechanical/HVAC, Professional Geologist 1 and more.
The same downstate counties are approved for geos as well of up to $13,500. All other counties were approved for $7,000 geos. Those are both maximum amounts of payments. Agencies may decide not to give the full approved amount. However, agencies typically offer the maximum.
While these increases are effective as of December 5, 2024, changes in pay for eligible employees will not begin until January 23, 2025, for the institution payroll and January 29, 2025, for the administration payroll.
“We commend Governor Hochul for her commitment to investing in the State workforce to recruit and retain top talent,” said PEF President Wayne Spence. “The PEF members impacted by these pay increases are highly skilled public servants who play critical roles protecting and maintaining New York’s vital infrastructure. Offering compensation on par with the private sector is a positive move toward attracting talented professionals to state employment.”
PEF members looking to confirm eligibility for the IHR and geo pay in their respective county should contact their agency HR department or personnel office.
Editor’s note: The PEF Civil Service Enforcement/Research Department has produced an FAQ with all this information and more.