New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Open-Competitive Examination Open to the Public

Senior Economist

The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be used to fill Senior Economist and the following agency specific titles:

• Senior Economist Environmental Impact
• Senior Economist Labor Research
• Senior Economist Milk Marketing

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before May 14, 2016,* you must meet BOTH the A and B requirements as follows:

A. Either 1. a bachelor's degree or higher in economics;

Or 2. a bachelor's degree or higher including or supplemented by 18 semester credit hours in economics and an additional 6 semester credit hours from among the following course work areas: computer science, economics, econometrics, mathematics, operations research, research methods, or statistics;**

AND B. two years of professional experience performing economic research. Acceptable experience may include, but is not limited to, experience with substantial responsibility for compiling and interpreting statistical data related to labor, health, regulatory economics, environmental economics, agricultural economics, occupational safety, transportation, insurance, banking, housing, or education. Experience primarily involving the clerical accumulation and manipulation of statistics will NOT be regarded as qualifying for this examination.

Education Substitution: A master???s degree or higher in economics or 30 graduate semester credit hours** in economics or econometrics may be substituted for two years of the professional experience in conducting economic research described above.

*Anticipated Eligibility: If you expect to meet the educational requirements by August 31, 2016, you can be admitted to the written test but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirements to the hiring agency at the time of the interview.

**If you qualify under option A2 of the minimum qualifications or the 30 graduate semester credit hour Education Substitution, you must submit a listing of the qualifying courses with your application by completing the College Education AND Course Information sections of the online application. Applications submitted without a list of courses will be disqualified.

Eligibility: You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Candidates who require sponsorship (for example, through the H1-B Visa Program) may apply. However, New York State agencies are not obligated to consider individuals who would require sponsorship for employment.

Notes

1. Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee. You must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1/JBH.
2. A promotion examination is also being held for these positions. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
3. Although promotion examinations are being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.
4. Important: As the processing fee is non-refundable, verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online application prior to submitting. You should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.
5. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
6. New York State residence is not required.

The Positions

Senior Economist and Senior Economist Labor Research positions are located in various agencies throughout New York State. Senior Economist Environmental Impact and Senior Economist Milk Marketing are located in Albany. The eligible list established as the result of this examination will be used to fill positions which may be established at additional agencies or geographic locations throughout New York State during the life of this list.

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Duties

As a Senior Economist you would conduct surveys including: devising approaches for obtaining information, assisting in selection of samples, and providing facts and information required in the administration of various governmental programs. You would conduct difficult economic research and analysis on a wide range of technical subjects. You would collect information and assemble and write comprehensive analyses on such subjects as general business and industrial trends, markets, prices, housing, employment, milk marketing, banking, population and labor market trends and issues.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.
2. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
3. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.
4. Basic statistical concepts - These questions test for knowledge of the analytical methods used to reduce and describe large sets of numerical data. The questions cover such areas as the organization and presentation of data, statistical terminology, central tendency, variability, the normal curve, and correlation. You will not be required to do any substantial manipulation of data.
5. Economic principles and theories - These questions test for a knowledge of contemporary economics. The questions will cover such areas as price theory and related topics in microeconomics, macroeconomics, employment and labor economics, and regulatory economics.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

SELECTIVE CERTIFICATION: Approved applicants will have an opportunity to complete an online education and experience questionnaire that will be used for all titles on this announcement. Information provided on the questionnaire is subject to verification and may be used to qualify candidates for positions requiring specific education and experience beyond the minimum qualifications. Approved applicants will receive, via email, information about the process of completing the online questionnaire and when it will be available. It is very important that you provide an up-to-date email address on your application as you will receive important communication via email. All approved candidates are encouraged to complete the questionnaire to maximize opportunities for appointment; only candidates who complete the questionnaire and receive a passing score on the written examination will be considered for positions being filled through the use of selective certification. This questionnaire will NOT be scored and must be completed within the required time period specified in the email. Your final score for the Senior Economist examination is based only on the written test. Names of candidates who pass the examination, but do not complete this questionnaire, will appear on the general eligible list only.

CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE LISTS: When filling vacancies, agencies will have two options. One option is to request a general certification of the eligible list which will include all candidates, by score. Or, if it is determined that specific education and experience, beyond the minimum qualifications, are required for a position, agencies have the option to request a selective certification of the eligible list (see above). The selective certification will filter the results of the written test based on the responses to the online questionnaire. The selective certification will contain only the names of candidates who meet the specialized requirements, ranked by score, in the same order of certification described above. Final scores are based on the results of the written test only.

Important: The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474 6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627.

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB2 JBH-tlm
Issued: 2/26/2016

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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