SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Amid a three-month government hiring freeze, Oregon hired 1,931 new employees, most for temporary positions.
The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/FUiAf5) that an exception committee pored over 2,376 requests to fill jobs despite a hiring freeze that Gov. John Kitzhaber ordered in November after learning that tax revenue declines could require spending cuts.
The hiring freeze ended this month with the conclusion of the legislative session.
According to the Department of Administrative Services, the committee ended up approving agency requests to hire 350 permanent employees.
Most of the approved permanent hires were in the Oregon Department of Human Services, which received permission for 73 new employees, and the Oregon Housing Authority, which was authorized to hire 44 people, according DHS data.
