Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991 TAG: 9102170272
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Despite layoffs, furlough proposals, salary freezes and other spending cuts to make up a $2 billion budget gap, the state still is hiring plenty of employees.
Classified pages of the Richmond newspapers list scores of job openings at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, the Supreme Court, State Corporation Commission and the departments of Education, Economic Development and Corrections, among others.
The state is advertising about 400 job openings, down from about 700 being advertised a year ago, said Rick Pugh, state compensation director.
"It's down considerably. Of that about half are medical or allied health-related classes [that] a number of agencies need to fill," he said.
Since Gov. Douglas Wilder announced the state's budget woes last summer, he has let state agencies decide how they will make cuts instead of imposing a statewide hiring freeze.
"The decision to advertise jobs is pretty [much] up to the agency," Pugh said.
Besides the openings for nurses, medical technicians and other health personnel, many other jobs are being advertised in the Department of Education.
The department is cutting 96 positions under a reorganization plan. Superintendent of Public Instruction Joseph Spagnolo told employees they would have to reapply for 227 reorganized jobs and compete with applicants from outside the agency.
The department has placed advertisements for dozens of administrative jobs with annual salaries ranging from $33,000 to $65,600.
"We're truly advertising them, and they are open for applications from anyone. The superintendent has said on numerous occasions that he is looking for the best people for the job," said Jim Foudriat, a department spokesman.
All the jobs will be filled by February, he said. No one has been laid off so far, but some department employees will lose their jobs, Foudriat said.
Corrections Department Director Edward Murray said last week that up to 22 of his administrative employees may be laid off because of budget cuts.
Still, the department is advertising three job openings in planning and engineering services that each pay between $25,000 and $50,000 a year.
Corrections spokesman Wayne Farrar said the department has laid off no one, but has slowed down hiring.
"Some jobs are being left vacant for unspecified periods of time," he said. "Even though the ad may appear in the paper, it doesn't mean that somebody will be told to report to work next week."
by CNB