20% of full-time positions are vacant at the City of Winston-Salem

The City of Winston-Salem is struggling to fill open positions. 

Twenty percent of full-time city jobs are currently vacant, according to a presentation delivered to the city council Monday. That’s about double the city’s pre-pandemic vacancy rate. Budget and Performance Management Director Scott Tesh told the council the increase wasn’t unexpected. 

“In talking with peers and other jurisdictions, they are also struggling, many of them in the 14, 15, 17, 18% range; we may be slightly above them," he said. 

While vacancies have affected all departments, fleet services has been especially impacted. The department manages the city’s vehicles. Half of its positions remain unfilled, many of them floor mechanic jobs. Tesh said the city is focused on exploring new ways to address the problem. 

“There are many things that we have tried to do on the financial side, leave programs, insurance programs, and the like to try to retain employees that we have, and provide better recruitment incentives,” he said. 

The city has also launched efforts to gauge employee experiences via surveys and in-person meetings.