Recruiting and Building Capacities of Qualified Staff in the Yap State Office of the Public Auditor

Author: Bryan Dabugsiy, Public Auditor for Yap State

In the Federated States of Micronesia, the Yap State Office of the Public Auditor (OPA) is dealing with staffing challenges that are, unfortunately, not uncommon for the Pacific Island region. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that most of its audit staff have very limited auditing experience. Of its five auditors, three of them have been with the OPA for less than a year. Facing a high cost of living, more experienced staff are finding better paying jobs that the office can’t afford to compete with.

As well as the issue of only being able to offer minimal salaries, the OPA must seek approval to fund specific positions. It currently awaits approval to start the recruitment process for a new audit manager. Without anyone filling this role, the quality and timely issuing of audit reports has and will continue to suffer.

Recruiting is a joint process with the Yap State Government’s Office of Administrative Services, Division of Personnel. The Division of Personnel shortlists the pool of applicants to those it deems qualified. Rather than accepting that this is just the way it has been done there for a long time now, the recently appointed Yap State Public Auditor, Bryan Dabugsiy, recognizes citizens would be the ones to benefit from improvements to his office’s independence.

In the first week of October 2023, he welcomed PASAI’s North Pacific-based Director, Doris Flores Brooks to the island. Together, they made courtesy visits to the Governor Charles S. Chieng, Lt. Governor, Francis Itimai, and various legislators including Speaker, Nicolas Figirlaarwon and Vice Speaker, Theodore Rutun.

Ms. Flores Brooks stressed to them the importance of the OPA’s independence for the proper accountability of Yap State’s public expenditure and service delivery. As the former Public Auditor for Guam, Ms. Flores Brooks was able to share some relatable activities including working with relevant Guam government agencies to increase the salaries of her employees, when she was with the Guam Office of Public Accountability.

Advocacy such as this is a continual process that usually takes time to bear fruit. In the meantime, to improve staff capability, Mr. Dabugsiy encourages his staff to actively participate in the various training opportunities offered by PASAI and the Graduate School USA.