Survey outlines governments' strategies for managing through fiscal stress.

• Position: News & Numbers - Brief article

State and local governments are implementing a number of strategies for responding to the recession. According to a survey by the Segal Company, most governments are using six strategies to manage the fiscal stress they are experiencing. Of all respondents, 72 percent are implementing hiring freezes; 56 percent are freezing pay; 47 percent are laying off employees, 42 percent are requiring employees to pay more of their benefit costs, 21 percent are offering early retirement incentives, and 19 percent are redesigning their retirement plans.

Many jurisdictions are making use of more than one strategy. Thirty-one percent of governments are freezing pay and laying off employees, 23 percent are both...