New Mexico State Jobs Hiring Freeze Saves Money

Efforts to curb hiring employees for New Mexico state jobs has saved the state a considerable amount of money.

Gov. Bill Richardson recently announced that the hiring freeze and other cost saving measures he implemented during 2008 have saved the State of New Mexico millions of dollars in payroll costs. Biweekly state payroll alone has decreased by $1.3 million since November 2008, when the initiatives were implemented.

"I am disturbed that some lawmakers have seriously mischaracterized the results of these important cost cutting measures," Richardson said. "The truth is, there have been real results and savings to the State of New Mexico. In just the past 11 months, we’ve cut payroll by millions while making sure services to New Mexicans are not affected."