ALBANY- State offices across New York are feeling the strain of a growing workload and a shrinking margin for error, as a new report reveals a sharp rise in overtime costs and hours in 2025.
According to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, agencies spent a total of $1.6 billion on overtime last year, an increase of nearly 23 percent from 2024. While the number of overtime hours also rose, the increase was more modest at 5.9 percent, suggesting that higher costs, not just longer hours, are driving the surge.
At the same time, the state workforce continued a slow but steady rebound. Staffing levels grew for the third consecutive year, adding just over 4,100 positions to reach an average of 155,448 employees statewide. Still, that growth has not been enough to offset pressure in some agencies.
Nowhere is that pressure more visible than in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The agency logged the largest jump in overtime, with hours increasing by 1.3 million and costs rising by $264 million in a single year. Behind those numbers is a workforce that has shrunk dramatically, down nearly 30 percent since 2020.
For corrections officers still on the job, the burden has intensified. The average employee worked 432 hours of overtime in 2025, nearly triple the amount recorded just five years earlier. A labor strike earlier in the year, which stretched from mid-February to early March, added further strain to an already stretched system.
DiNapoli cautioned that while overtime can be necessary to maintain essential services, agencies must keep a close eye on how it is used. As demand for public services remains steady, the challenge for state leaders will be balancing staffing levels, costs, and the well-being of the workforce tasked with keeping New York running.
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