Caltrans Looking To Hire More Than 1,000 Employees

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Caltrans is looking to fill more than 1,000 vacancies. The agency says its previously slow hiring process has been streamlined because it has lots of jobs to fill.

Angela Feemster is looking for a better paying job and is now planning to apply to Caltrans.

"I need to match my income so I can stay afloat," Feemster said.

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Across the state and the Sacramento region, unemployment is low and that's making it tougher for employers to get help. Caltrans' Sacramento employment office looked like a ghost town Wednesday with no one in line and only a handful of people online looking through a variety of available positions.

Officials say there are also many entry level positions open.

"We're looking for a surveyors, electrical engineers, right-of-way agents, and all the rest of the staff that goes with it," said Mark Dinger of Caltrans.

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The push to hire more was spurred on by two different developments: One, funding from Senate Bill 1, the Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, kicked into effect last year. It doubled maintenance dollars for Caltrans to get roads repaired. And two: Caltrans cites the "silver wave."

According to Caltrans, about 55 percent of their workforce is over 50.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joshua Austin, who is working three jobs, says he's not picky about the type of work he does. He's just excited about the opportunity.

Officials from Caltrans say if SB1 is overturned on the ballot this fall, they cannot say if they will lay off workers or cut back on projects. For now, the agency is focusing on hiring, full-speed ahead.