Gov. Mike Pence’s administration is looking to reduce the number of state employees by about 200 – but not through layoffs.
Micah Vincent, director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget, called the move a recalibration and said it would be achieved through attrition.
State government has about a 10 percent turnover rate annually, so some positions won’t be refilled while others could be combined.
Vincent said Pence has always used the headcount of employees when he arrived – 27,197 – as a guidepost for his administration.
But in recent months, that number has grown by about 200.
Last year, the administration announced the hiring of more than 200 Department of Child Services caseworkers, but Vincent said those positions won’t be touched.
The headcount generally covers only executive-branch agencies that Pence controls. For instance, it doesn’t include employees of the Indiana Department of Education or other statewide office holders, the judiciary or the legislature.
Vincent has instructed agencies to start focusing on reducing their staffs but said no one will be laid off.
