Item - 2014.EX43.4

This report responds to a request from City Council to provide information regarding staff actions and strategies to expedite the filling of vacancies and reduce the level of vacant positions.  The report also outlines current and future factors that impact and/or contribute to position vacancy rates (e.g., gapping, turnover, churn rate, hiring processes, staffing levels).  This report shows that there continues to be an increased volume of staffing activity with a 35% increase in the number of staffing requisitions received by the Human Resources Division in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the first quarter of 2013.

A number of proactive strategies and renewed efforts are being made to expedite the filling of an increasing and high number of vacancies in the Toronto Public Service.  For example:

-            the use of "on-going job posting" for positions that are needing to be regularly and often filled;

-           the use of "eligibility lists" to pre-qualify candidates on one job posting for future job postings of the same job classification to minimize duplication of recruitment steps;

             the implementation of a centralized Skills Assessment Centre to streamline large demands for recruitment skills and competency testing;

-           the launch in January 2014 of a proactive Social Media strategy (for example, Facebook, Twitter and new employment web pages focusing on talent attraction of highly qualified candidates) to attract new talent

-           increased collaborative efforts with City Divisions including specific additional attention to recruitment of difficult to recruit positions, for example,  Planning, Information andTechnology, and Engineering and Construction Services Divisions;

-           a business process review of the end-to-end recruitment processes within City Divisions and the Human Resources Division to streamline processes, remove bottlenecks and steps to increase the speed of posting and filling of vacant positions;

-           increased position vacancy requisition "file management" between the hiring manager and Human Resources staff to proactively plan and schedule the recruitment steps required to expedite filling of vacancies including the candidate short listing schedule, interview scheduling, reference checking, etc.;

-            the centralization of administrative recruitment processes (e.g., filling of unionized positions and the order of consideration processes) to improve the efficiency of filling vacancies;

-           commencement of a review (capital project submission) to replace the current inadequate electronic applicant tracking and job posting system with a new improved system to meet the city's high volume posting demands and its analysis and reporting requirements; and

-           the addition of new Human Resources Division recruitment staff (recently approved by the City Manager and City Council in October 2013) to replace previous cut positions during past budget cuts.

The City of Toronto's 2014 average budgeted gapping rate is 2.2%. The rate of vacancies as reported in the Operating Variance Report for the three-month  period ended March 31, 2014, as a percentage of total approved position complement, after gapping, was 3.6% as at March 31, 2014.  This represents the vacancy rates for all approved positions to deliver services (operating positions) and capital projects (capital positions) within the Toronto Public Service and City Agencies.  Of the total 3,060.8 vacancies reported, 1,275.3 were in the Toronto Public Service, 262.2 vacancies were in the rate supported programs, and 1,523.3 vacancies were in the City Agencies.  The overall vacancy rate currently stands at 3.6% and City Divisions are projecting the year-end vacancy rate, after gapping, to be 0.3%.