PORTLAND, Ore. — Department of Administrative Services officials on April 23 briefed the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government in an informational meeting on House Bill 5,002, describing current workforce demographics, steps already under way and remaining gaps in enterprise workforce planning.

The presentation, led by Jessica Neely, chief human resources officer for the executive branch, and Barry Leslie, director of the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), outlined the size and makeup of the executive branch workforce, actions taken after a Secretary of State workforce audit, and specific programs aimed at recruitment, retention and leadership development.

Neely told lawmakers the executive branch employs ‘‘almost 45,000 employees, 44,763,’’ and that roughly ‘‘11.6%’’ of budgeted positions were currently vacant. She said about ‘‘a quarter of our workforce’’ is eligible to retire and that enterprise data show 71% of employees identify as white, about 25% as people of color and 3.5% have not disclosed race or ethnicity.

The Secretary of State audit, received in February 2024, recommended the state develop an enterprise strategic workforce plan and other improvements. Neely said DAS accepted the recommendations and is ‘‘on track’’ to implement them by the deadlines set in the audit.

Leslie described workforce development as a system that extends from recruitment to retention and highlighted several initiatives the state has already required or rolled out, including required new-employee orientation, mandatory quarterly manager–employee check-ins, targeted management training, leadership cohorts, an ascent program and a new coaching contract for senior leaders. He said the governor has set an enterprise expectation of a 50-day target for hiring, which DAS is tracking.

Lawmakers asked for details on definitions and practices. Representative Tran asked whether internal moves count as turnover; Neely said internal moves are treated as transfers, not turnover. Senator Manning and others pressed about removing ineffective managers; Neely and Leslie described existing statutory frameworks for management service, progressive discipline and steps to develop managers’ skills.

Committee members raised concerns about workplace culture and retaliation. Leslie and Neely described an ‘‘off-ramp’’ for employees who lack confidence in their agency’s escalation path: the DAS Chief Human Resources Office has an investigations and policy team that can consult, accept complaints and conduct investigations outside the affected agency. Neely said the most important step to change culture is visible action when concerns are raised.

DAS also outlined data and modernization needs. Neely said the state uses Workday as its system of record but needs better data collection, clearer metrics and more consistent use of those metrics to hold agencies accountable. She identified modernization of job classifications and evaluating pay-step structures as priorities, and said the agency is studying how to prepare the workforce for new tools including artificial intelligence.

Other quantitative details mentioned during the presentation included a four‑quarter average turnover rate of about 2.2% (with recent quarterly lows near 1.56% and highs near 2.5%), and that a separate Legislative Fiscal Office metric counts budgeted positions vacant for six months or more at roughly 5%–6%.

Presenters and lawmakers discussed accommodations and hiring rules: Neely said the state generally has no maximum hiring age, minimums are set by the Bureau of Labor and Industry for minors and that some positions (for example, certain public-safety roles) require candidates to be 21 for certification. DAS staff also said security rules limit hiring or remote work for employees located outside the United States.

No formal votes were taken; the item was informational and intended to give the committee background before any potential work session on House Bill 5,002. Committee staff noted the DAS Sustainability and Enterprise Asset Management presentation would be rescheduled, likely to May 14, and that Enterprise Information Services (the chief information officer and chief information security officer) will return to cover enterprise AI and cybersecurity at a subsequent meeting.

The meeting closed after roughly an hour of testimony and questions.