Philadelphia added workers under Parker but vacancies remain high
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Philadelphia's full-time city workforce has grown by roughly 5% under Mayor Cherelle Parker, even as thousands of jobs remain vacant.
Why it matters: Persistent vacancies can delay city services and drive up overtime spending.
Driving the news: Parker has added more than 1,200 full-time positions since taking office in 2024, according to the city's five-year plans.
- The city's budget now funds about 26,460 full-time general fund positions for the fiscal year that began in July.
Threat level: Adding new positions has made it more difficult to shrink the vacancy rate.
- More than 3,700 full-time jobs remain vacant, leaving the city with a vacancy rate of about 14%.
- Police, prisons and fire have some of the highest levels of vacancies.
Yes, but: Parker has reduced the city's vacancy rate from 18% when she took office.
Plus: The city now employs more than 22,700 full-timers — back to pre-pandemic levels.
Worth noting: This analysis covers the city's general fund workforce. It excludes self-funded departments such as water and aviation, which are supported by separate revenue sources.
Between the lines: Continued vacancies contribute to higher overtime costs.
- Overtime spending is forecast to reach $344 million for the fiscal year that ended July 1 — up $29 million from the previous year.
- Vacancies aren't the only driver. Pay increases, special events and snow removal have also pushed up city overtime spending, per a recent city report.
What else: Parker has also expanded the offices that report directly to her.
- Staffing in the mayor's office has nearly doubled to 95 positions.
What they're saying: Parker spokesperson Joe Grace tells Axios that the mayor has driven down vacancies and filled critical jobs.
- Grace added that increases in the number of positions reflect expanded services, including the new Office of Clean and Green Initiatives and Office of Public Safety, as well as the mayor's commitment to new programs and initiatives.
The other side: Lauren Cristella, president of government watchdog the Committee of Seventy, tells Axios the city needs to provide more accountability about whether Philadelphians are getting the services they're paying for.
- She added that a high vacancy rate "means real gaps in frontline delivery, and it's worth understanding exactly where those gaps are landing and what they cost taxpayers in overtime, backlogs, and delayed services."