Thinning the Ranks
In early May 2015, the Massachusetts state system initiated an early retirement program for as many as 5,000 state employees, with possible additional workforce reductions to follow. It’s unclear how many people will be leaving. Estimates suggest that state agencies will lose from 5% to 20% of their workforce by June 30. That’s three weeks away.
The people who retire will take valuable knowledge and experience with them. Their leaving will also create big gaps in the social networks essential to accomplishing the work of the Commonwealth.