Pasadena rolled into 2026 with fewer empty seats at City Hall. The vacancy rate among represented city employees dropped to 7.9% as of January 1, 2026, down from 9.7% a year earlier, city officials reported. The Human Resources Department is set to present the updated numbers at a public hearing Monday at City Hall, where recognized employee organizations will get a chance to respond. In practical terms, that means fewer than eight out of every 100 budgeted, union-represented positions were unfilled at the start of the year.
City credits hiring push for improvement
According to an agenda report from the City of Pasadena, the lower vacancy rate follows a sustained hiring push. Since the prior report in April 2025, the city filled 246 positions, processed 244 staffing requests and posted 122 job openings.
The same report notes that voluntary turnover dipped to 4.74% in fiscal year 2025. On top of that, the city's Gallup employee engagement score hit 4.00 out of 5.00, based on more than 1,600 responses.
Human Resources officials point to process tweaks as a big part of the story. "The Onboard portal has reduced the typical onboarding timeline from over a week to 2 to 3 days from initial candidate outreach to completion," the agenda states. Staff also highlight seven college career fairs, expanded LinkedIn outreach, and targeted department support as part of the strategy.
The report was prepared by Human Resources Manager Brady Griffin and submitted by Human Resources Director Tiffany Jacobs-Quinn, with City Manager Miguel Márquez signing off on the item.
Who gained ground and who did not
Most of Pasadena's 11 bargaining units saw their vacancy rates improve, but a few moved in the opposite direction.
According to Pasadena Now, Laborers' International Union trimmed its vacancy rate to 10.2% from 14.7%. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers dropped to 5.3%, and the Pasadena Fire Fighters Association fell to 3.9%.
Not everyone is heading in that direction, though. The Pasadena Police Supervisors Association saw its vacancy rate rise to 13.3%, and the International Union of Operating Engineers climbed to 14.3%.
No bargaining unit, however, crossed the 20% vacancy line that would trigger additional public disclosure requirements under state law, Pasadena Now reports.
How Pasadena compares across California
Researchers at the UC Berkeley Labor Center say Pasadena is operating in a range many local officials consider normal. Their statewide review of civil service vacancies found city vacancy rates running from roughly 5% to 30% in different jurisdictions, with many leaders viewing a 6% to 10% rate as typical.
The Labor Center also flags the risks of letting vacancies pile up: strained public services, higher overtime costs, and rising burnout among the employees who stay.
The hearing and what comes next
The City Council is scheduled to receive the annual recruitment and vacancy report at its Monday meeting at City Hall (100 N. Garfield Ave.) and through the city's online meeting portal, according to Pasadena Now.
The presentation is more than a courtesy update. It fulfills a requirement in state law: AB 2561 mandates that public agencies report at least once per fiscal year on the status of vacancies and recruitment efforts. If any single bargaining unit hits a 20% vacancy rate, the same law requires extra detail on applicant pools, time-to-fill and compensation opportunities.
City staff say they plan to keep pushing targeted outreach, fine-tuning onboarding and expanding internal promotional pathways to prevent vacancies from widening again. During the hearing, council members and union representatives will be able to press for changes to recruitment practices, pay and job classifications based on the new data.
