Raleigh, North Carolina (WNCN) — Months after the state approved pay increases and bonuses for driver license examiners who process licenses at the DMV, state transportation leaders said the DMV’s office He said he was facing a serious staffing shortage.
A new salary classification system for civil servants included only a modest salary increase for entry-level driver license examiners.
It also includes a $1,500 retention bonus and a $1,500 sign-on bonus, but NCDOT’s Amanda Olive says the money may not last.
“Only as long as the funding we get from the legislature lasts, because we don’t have the budget to continue this without that extra funding we got from Congress,” Olive said.
Despite training and graduating more than 40 examiners in the last week, the DMV office has experienced a 28{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} turnover rate over the past year, according to Olive.
That means the long queues we see at the DMV could continue for the foreseeable future.
“So the industry standard is typically around 10{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} turnover. 10-11{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} is considered the norm, so seeing something this high is pretty important,” said Olive.
An official with the State Employees’ Association said the price increases approved in the budget earlier this year have not kept pace with inflation and the private sector.
CBS 17 spoke with Republican leaders at the General Assembly on the issue.
“I think salaries are part of it. I don’t know if it’s the whole thing because you go out into the private sector and they have the same problems,” said Senate Interim Speaker Phil Berger. MP said.
Lawmakers say they plan to take up the issue in the next session.
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