As Philadelphia grapples with a persistent staffing shortage, the city is considering offering new benefits to its municipal employees, including a perk for those with furry family members.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration is exploring the possibility of providing pet insurance to thousands of city workers who choose to opt in next year. This potential benefit is among several the city is evaluating in an effort to attract more millennial and Gen Z job applicants.
Joe Grace, a spokesperson for the Parker administration, clarified that the pet insurance benefit would initially be available only to non-union employees. Furthermore, the employees themselves would cover the cost of the insurance, posing no direct expense to the city.
“We see this as an important benefit in that many of our employees have pets,” Grace stated, citing studies showing high pet ownership among millennials (born 1981 to 1996) and Gen Z (1997 to 2012). “As the city looks to become an employer of choice, we want to support our employees’ total health and wellness, including those fur-babies too.”
The city is currently reviewing contract proposals from pet insurance companies and, according to a public request for proposals, plans to introduce this new benefit early next year.
The Parker administration previously announced other new perks for employees earlier this year after Mayor Parker mandated a full-time return to in-office and on-site work. These benefits include expanded parental leave and emergency care options for employees’ children or elderly family members.
These existing benefits are available to approximately 6,000 non-union employees. Two of the largest city worker unions, District Councils 33 and 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, are currently engaged in contract negotiations with the Parker administration. Any changes to employee benefits are likely to arise from the terms of the finalized contract.
Union leaders from DC 33 and 47 have voiced their opposition to Parker’s return-to-office mandate, arguing that it may lead to increased resignations and early retirements, exacerbating the existing staffing challenges. Before the full-time return to the office in July, about 20% of city employees worked a hybrid schedule.
As of April, approximately 5,100 city jobs, representing about 20% of the workforce, remained vacant.
