City of San José Vacancy Rate Report and Public Hearing [Government Code Section 3502.3]
ARAM KOUYOUMDJIAN
Director of Human Resources and
City Manager’s Office of Employee Relations
KIM JACKSON
Assistant Director, Human Resources
LINH LE
Division Manager, Employment Services
RANDI PERRY
Division Manager, Recruitment & Workforce Development
1 Citywide Vacancy Rate – 9.06%
Budgeted FTEs Trend Up / Vacancy Rate Trends Down
2 Vacancy Rate Comparisons
18%
17.94%
14.93%
13.26%
10.80%
9.70%
9.06%
4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%
Long Beach (8/25)
Oakland (4/25)
Los Angeles (1/26)
Santa Clara City (1/26)
Santa Clara County (2/26)
San Diego (1/26)
San Jose (12/25)
Major California Cities and Key Nearby Agencies
3 B
ARGAINING
U
NIT
2025
Budgeted FTEs Vacant FTEs
International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers 79 16
Park Rangers Association 16.25 6.75
Bargaining Units with Vacancy Rates Over 20%
Data as of December 31, 2025. IBEW Currently Under 20%. 4 Challenges:
• Limited pool of qualified candidates due to nationwide labor shortage of estimated 80,000 electricians.
• Competitive labor market with utilities and the private sector.
• Very specialized requirements for Industrial Electricians – high voltage experience.
Mitigation Efforts
:
• 33.33% reduction in Electrician vacancies – from 12
vacancies in 2024 to 8 vacancies in 2025.
• Recent approval by Electrical Alliance of Silicon Valley to commence work on an Apprenticeship Program
agreement.
• Custom digital recruitment campaigns to launch later
this spring.
5 POPRA: Park Rangers
Challenges:
• Increased vacancies due to internal promotions to
senior, supervisor, and chief classifications.
• Lengthy background processes due to public safety
components of the role.
• Only one training academy per year, coordinated by
County and implemented by South Bay Public Safety
Training Consortium.
Mitigation Efforts:
• Creation of new job specifications for feeder
classification: Park Ranger Trainee.
• Custom digital recruitment campaign to launch later this spring. 6
Digital
Recruitment
Infrastructure
With the investment of $150,000 in one-time funds, the City has engaged a full-service marketing agency to
(1) design a custom recruitment campaign;
(2) build a hiring-specific microsite;
(3) create a library of visual assets (photos and videos); and (4) leverage digital platforms and social media to broaden outreach. 7 More than a dozen engagements with
job fairs, career workshops, and local
events (e.g., Viva Calle and Work for
California) – and City-sponsored Career
Expo at Mexican Heritage Plaza with
over 500 attendees
“We Are Hiring” posts to tout
job postings and “In the Loop
Posts” for long-term branding
Social Media Campaigns
Premium Subscription and 58,500
views of posted City jobs
LinkedIn Recruiter
Two dozen engagements with high
schools (Yerba Buena, Independence,
Cristo Rey), community and technical
colleges (Evergreen, DeAnza, Mission,
and Silicon Valley Career and Technical
Education), and universities (San José
State, Santa Clara)
Student Engagement Community Job Fairs
Multi-Pronged Outreach Strategies
8 SJ Training Portal
Launched January 2026. Provides 24/7 access and guided
Learning Plans aligned with career paths. Consolidates in a single platform training delivery, tracking, and reporting. 9 Collaboration with City Manager’s Office of
Employee Relations to reimagine training
for front-line supervisors, emphasizing core
skills such as employee engagement,
communication, coaching, and
performance management.
Launched February 2026
10 Citywide Mentorship
Program
Record Number of Participants
235 Mentor-Mentee Matches
for FY 2025-2026
(202 Matches in FY 2024-2025)
This Year’s Theme
How to Network: Building Skills,
Building Relationships
11 Insurance Coverage
Health and Dental Plans
Enhanced Vision Plan
(Frames Yearly)
Voluntary Pet Insurance
Wellness
Resource Fair
Healthy Cooking
Yoga + Meditation
Sound Bath Sessions
Paid Time Off
15 Paid Holidays
Vacation Accrual
Illness Leave
Parental Leave
Deferred Comp
Campaign for Enhanced
Participation and
Contribution Rates
Employee Benefits
12 M
second iteration of
nationwide observance
April 23 (City Hall)
staff giving back
through volunteer
initiatives across City
March 26
(multiple locations,
including Hillview Park and
Guadalupe River Park Trail)
Day of
Service
One Team
Values and
Expectations
Bring Your
Child to Work
Day
Organizational / Workplace Culture
13 Future Outlook:
Challenges and Innovative Solutions
Broad shifts in the labor market:
• jobs are increasing in number,
• the labor pool is shrinking, and
• the nature of work is evolving
• e.g., gig economy, impacts of tech
Human Resources will strive to maintain the
hiring momentum and continue innovating,
while meeting new challenges like artificial
intelligence with its internal AI Working Group to
upskill and re-skill the workforce of the future.
14 Recommendation
Accept the staff report,
per Government Code § 3502.3,
on workforce vacancy rates,
recruitment and retention
efforts, and obstacles in the
hiring process.
15 Aram Kouyoumdjian
Director of Human Resources and
City Manager’s Office of Employee Relations
Linh Le
Division Manager
Employment Services
Kim Jackson
Assistant Director
Human Resources
Randi Perry
Division Manager
Recruitment & Workforce Development