North Dakota gives out $8.4M in state worker bonuses in 2021

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota spent $8.4 million this year on bonuses for some state workers, a record sum that was more than double paid out in 2020.

A little more than a third of the nearly 9,300 state employees received the bonuses, including several from Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s office, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. The bonuses, which grew from $3.5 million last year, helped push total employee compensation to $582 million for 2021, up $40 million from 2020.

The bulk of bonuses paid to employees comes from agencies in the governor’s cabinet, records show. Burgum, who approved $7,100 in bonuses to six of his staffers, defends the program. In a statement, he called the bonuses a “tool authorized by the Legislature to reward performance and help retain team members in a competitive labor market.”

State Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette, the state’s top budget writer, said the bonus money must come from an agency’s existing salary budget and agency heads are given discretion on how to spend it.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-bismarck-north-dakota-legislature-69c78f6548cba611686691226021c6d9

Why are only some employees receiving bonuses when all employees were working through the pandemic? I suspect that only the favorites were chosen which means that the other employees know that they aren't important.