City faces engineer shortage

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

More than one in three jobs at the city's Department of Design and Construction are vacant because licensed engineers are in short supply and can make more money elsewhere, department director Timothy Steinberger said.

The department struggles to keep up with more than 1,000 construction projects it oversees each year, but crucial infrastructure work is made a priority, he said during a City Council budget hearing.

"We do the projects that have to be done," he said. "The road projects, the sewer projects, are given the highest priority. Those always go first."

Out of 302 jobs, more than 100 are empty, he said. The department's proposed annual budget is $13.7 million, a 13.2 percent decrease from this fiscal year.

Engineers hired for the two classifications the city typically recruits earn starting salaries of about $37,000 and $45,000 per year, respectively.

Steinberger said licensed engineers earn more at state, federal and private jobs, and fewer than 15 usually graduate from the University of Hawai'i each year.

"Maybe half of them will go to the Mainland or the private sector," he said. "We're just not going to be able to attract those people."

The department aggressively recruits about 30 workers per year but loses others through attrition at about the same rate, so the overall number changes little, he said.

Increasing salaries would help, but money is spread thin and options are few, according to Steinberger.

"I do not deny that they should be paid more," he said.

Steinberger said the staff shortage is not solely to blame for construction projects falling behind schedule. The month-old concrete strike, changing permit requirements and other factors also cause delays, he said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.