State agencies in fiscal year 2020 spent nearly $235 million on overtime wages, a modest increase compared to the year prior, according to new data.
A report released Wednesday by the Office of Fiscal Analysis says the state’s overtime spending in the 2020 fiscal year, from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, ran $600,000, or 0.2%, above fiscal year 2019.Â
Part of the reason for the increased overtime pay could be that Connecticut’s workforce is smaller than it was in previous years.
As of Aug. 7, the Office of Fiscal Analysis said the state agencies employed 1,068 fewer workers than it did a year prior for a total of 17,265.
Five agencies comprised more than 93% of overtime expenditures from the general fund in both fiscal years. The agencies include the Department of Correction (DOC); Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS); Department of Developmental Services (DDS); Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP); and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
From July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, the top five agencies in overtime expenses spent the following:
- Department of Correction: $78.7 million (2.9% increase)
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services: $55.9 million (5.7% increase)
- Department of Development Services: $39.1 million (1.3% decrease)
- Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection: $26.9 million (2.7% increase)
- Department of Children and Families: $18 million (18.9% decrease)
Those agencies were trailed by the UConn Health Center ($3.6 million), Department of Social Services ($3 million), Judicial Department ($2 million), Department of Veterans’ Affairs ($1.7 million), State Department of Education ($1.3 million) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ($1.1 million).
