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As Public Workforce Declines, Overtime Pay Reaches Highest Level in a Decade in New York

The 18.1 million hours of overtime recorded last year by the state's workforce marked a 3.4 percent increase in overtime pay — $25.7 million — from 2017.

By Brendan J. Lyons

While the state's workforce has steadily declined over the past decade, the level of overtime pay has surged during that period, increasing to nearly $787 million last year and marking the highest level in a decade, according to a state comptroller's report.

The 18.1 million hours of overtime recorded last year by the state's workforce marked a 3.4 percent increase in overtime pay — $25.7 million — from 2017. The State Police, due to their higher rate of pay than other agencies, had the "highest average biweekly overtime earnings" among larger agencies.
Three agencies that deal with institutional settings — the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and Office of Mental Health — accounted for more than 60 percent of the total overtime spending.

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