Subject: Informational Report On City-Wide Staffing - February 2026 From: Human Resources Management Department Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report On City-Wide Staffing From The City Administrator Regarding (1) Citywide Vacancy Rates And Status As Of February 1, 2026, (2) Budgeted Vacancy Rate For Fiscal Year 2025/26 (3) The Vacancy Rates Of Regional Local Public Entities, (4) Recruitment Outreach And Community Engagement, And (5) The Analysis Of The City Workforce And Recruitment Conditions

This informational report details the City of Oakland's city-wide staffing as of February 1, 2026, revealing a total of 4,264.17 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions with a 19.69% vacancy rate (839.75 vacant positions). This represents an increase from 12.32% in May 2021.

Key Staffing Metrics:

• Departmental Vacancies: Highest rates include the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (55.00%), Human Resources Management (44.87%), and Police Commission (39.13%).
• Sworn vs. Non-Sworn: Non-sworn positions have a 22.11% vacancy rate, while sworn positions (Police, Fire) are at 13.55%.
• Union Representation: Local 21 and SEIU 1021 bargaining units show vacancy rates of 24.62% and 20.20%, respectively.

Hiring Process & Bottlenecks (AB 2561): Nine bargaining units exceeded the 20% vacancy threshold, requiring detailed reporting. The average time from job posting to hire ranged from 106 days to 268.11 days. A significant bottleneck is the 36% of vacant positions (310) for which departments have not submitted a requisition. Departmental delays (Stage 2) often extend hiring timelines, averaging approximately four weeks longer than HRM's recruitment process (Stage 1) for Local 21 positions.

Regional & Workforce Trends: Oakland's 19.69% vacancy rate is higher than most regional comparators like San Jose (9.49%) and San Francisco (4.64%), but comparable to Hayward (20.18%) and Richmond (18.64%). The report notes a challenging labor market with California's unemployment rate in the mid-5% range (higher than the national 4.3% in January 2026), an aging workforce, and increased employee expectations for flexibility and compensation.

Separations & Retention: In FY 2024-25, there were 380 separations. The Police Department accounted for the highest percentage of separations (30% / 114), with 43% due to resignations and an average resignation age of 34.16 years, indicating early career attrition. Fire Department separations were largely retirement-based (70%). The average tenure of separating City employees was 11.84 years in FY 2024-25, higher than the national public-sector median of 6.2 years.

HRM Initiatives: Human Resources Management is implementing strategies to streamline hiring, improve recruitment outreach, build internal capacity, and integrate racial equity into employment practices to attract and retain talent effectively.