Local Hiring Preference

 

City government is the second largest employer in Philadelphia, next to the federal government. In fact, getting a “government job” is seen by many as a path to long-term financial security, particularly for the economically disadvantaged that feel shut out of the private sector, sometimes because of race. The local government established its civil service system in the 1919 city charter, and not much has changed even since the city’s latest charter except for a few substantive amendments.

In 2008, I proposed an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to civil service regulations to provide that, when eligible lists for appointments and promotions are established, those persons who have maintained a bona fide residence in Philadelphia for at least one year prior to the date of the examination shall prevail over all others who receive the identical test score. In other words, Philadelphia residents were given a tie-breaker preference over nonresidents.

This is how the system works. Candidates for most Philadelphia civil service jobs are given a test. Candidates are scored from 0 to 100, with bonus points given to veterans and to others, as required by law. Candidates are placed on a list in order of their scores. Job vacancies must be filled by offering the job to one of the two persons ranking highest on the list. Civil service regulations provide methods to break ties should two or more persons receive the same test score.

My legislative amendment changed those methods to give a preference to City residents. It required candidates who have lived within the City for at least one year before taking the test to be ranked above any other candidates with the same test score. In the poorest big City in America, which is majority people of color, we must do whatever we can to create economic opportunities for the disadvantaged – especially, if we are doing the hiring!