Increase in Bilingual Staffing
Departments also share information about their bilingual employees . The reporting tool distinguishes between bilingual employees and certified bilingual employees who have passed a language proficiency test . This test may be administered by the Department of Human Resources ( DHR ) or by the hiring Department . The total number of bilingual public contact employees includes those who are certified as well as those who are self-designated as proficient in a language other than English .
Total Bilingual Staff , Over Time
In the past fiscal year , the number of bilingual staff increased slightly to 2,556 , a 5 % increase of 124 bilingual staff from the previous year . Between FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021 , the number of bilingual staff had decreased by 123 ( 4.8 %) from 2,555 to 2,432 bilingual employees . With this uptick , the City has increased bilingual staff numbers back to the levels seen just before the pandemic , but still far below the recorded high of 5,614 bilingual employees in FY 2016-2017 .
Intentional recruitment and hiring practices are likely to influence bilingual staffing levels . For example , the Department of Elections attributed its increase in bilingual employees to the Department ’ s proactive approach to outreach , which encouraged bilingual applicants to apply for open positions .
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