The Governor has signed a bill enacting a hiring freeze.

 

Effective February 18, 2009, a hiring freeze that applies to all state agencies and higher education institutions is in effect.

 

 

Hiring freeze applies to all positions
The hiring freeze applies to all positions, including permanent, non-permanent, classified (includes Washington Management Service), and exempt, regardless of funding source.

 

 

Certain activities are exempt from the hiring freeze
Because of the impact to the health and safety of state citizens, agencies do not need to request exemptions for positions that provide the following services:

• Direct custody, supervision, and patient care in corrections and juvenile rehabilitation programs, institutions for the care of veterans, the mentally ill, and the developmentally disabled; state hospitals the special commitment center, and the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf;
• Direct protective services to children and other vulnerable populations in the Department of Social and Health Services;
• Washington State Patrol investigative services and field enforcement (troopers);
• Hazardous materials response and emergency cleanup;
• Public health laboratory and emergency public health response;
• Military operations and emergency management within the Military Department;
• Firefighting;
• Enforcement officers in the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Liquor Control Board, the Gambling Commission, and the Department of Natural Resources;
• Park Rangers at the Parks and Recreation Commission;
• Seasonal employment by natural resources agencies to the extent that employment levels do not exceed the prior fiscal year;
• Seasonal employment in the Department of Transportation maintenance programs to the extent that employment levels do not exceed the prior fiscal year;
• Employees hired on a seasonal basis by the Department of Agriculture for inspection and certification of agricultural products and for insect detection;
• Activities directly related to tax and fee collection, revenue generation, auditing, and recovery; In institutions of higher education, any positions directly related to academic programs, as well as positions not funded from state funds or tuition;
• Operations of the State Lottery and Liquor Control Board business enterprises;
• The unemployment insurance program of the Employment Security Department;
• Activities that are necessary to receive or maintain federal funds by the state;
• Positions filled by enrolled students at their own institutions as student workers;
• Campus police and security officers;
• Emergency management positions; and 
• Positions related to student health care and counseling.

 

Specific hiring authorization from the Department of Personnel is not required for activities that agency directors determine match the above descriptions, but agencies must keep a log of all hires that specifies the related exemption.

 

 

Agency directors may request additional exemptions
Agencies may request additional hiring freeze exemptions from the Department of Personnel for critical activities that are necessary:

• For the immediate health, safety, or welfare of state citizens
• For production or collection of state or federal revenue
• To respond to unforeseen, emergent circumstances involving critical state services

 

Requests for exemptions must be signed by the agency director and submitted to the director of the Department of Personnel.

 

 

Questions about the hiring freeze
For general questions about the hiring freeze, please see the following Q&A pages:

• Hiring Freeze Q&A for State Agencies 
• Hiring Freeze Q&A for Job Seekers 

 

For questions about specific recruitments that are already in progress, contact the recruiting agency.

 

Agencies are determining their own internal processes for managing the hiring freeze and will be communicating information to their agency employees as needed.