California Department of Human Resources

What California Department of Human Resources does

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) is a Sacramento-based California state government agency responsible for human resource management of all state civil service employees. Established on July 1, 2012, through the merger of the State Personnel Board (constitutionally created in 1934) and the Department of Personnel Administration (created 1981), CalHR became part of the Government Operations Agency in 2013. The agency serves 245,000+ state employees across 153 departments and manages 21 collective bargaining units under the Ralph C. Dills Act. Its statutory remit covers employee salaries and benefits, job classifications, civil rights, training, examinations, and recruitment and retention policy.

CalHR operates multiple proprietary and integrated enterprise systems: the Examination and Certification Online System (ECOS) for hiring and recruitment, the CalLearns Learning Management System for statewide training, the CalEmployee Connect portal for payroll access, and the Online Layoff Tool for workforce planning. Programmatic offerings include the Savings Plus Program (401(k) and 457(b) plans), Benefits Administration (dental, vision, life, disability), the Whole You Employee Assistance Program (powered by Spring Health, launched July 2026), the Live Well Employee Wellness Program (powered by Grokker, refreshed January 2026), the California Leadership Academy, the California LEAN Academy, and the California State Payroll System Project (CSPS) modernization initiative.

As a state agency, CalHR is funded through California's annual budget appropriations and charges no fees for its services. Its go-to-market motion is direct-to-government: services are delivered through the CalHR website, the CalCareers job portal, the State Jobs Center in Sacramento (open Tuesdays for walk-in support), email subscriptions, statewide training programs, and direct departmental consultation. The agency's customer base is exclusively internal — state employees, state supervisors and managers, state HR professionals, job seekers, and state retirees — with no commercial customer acquisition motion. CalHR also participates in developing AI vendor certification standards under California Executive Order N-5-26, extending its scope into AI procurement governance for the state.

Name

California Department of Human Resources

Legal name

California Department of Human Resources

Website

https://calhr.ca.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) is a Sacramento-based state agency that manages human resources services — recruitment, benefits administration, labor relations, training, and payroll systems — for 245,000+ California state civil service employees across 153 departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Human Resources Services

NAICS

Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) (923130), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIABAI

State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/State/Provincial & Regional Government Administration

Keywords

• State human resources
• Civil service administration
• Employee benefits administration
• Workforce development training
• Government recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Budget: CalHR operates as a California state government agency funded through the state annual budget appropriations process.
2. AI Vendor Procurement: CalHR is involved in developing new AI vendor certification standards and procurement safeguards for state contracts under Executive Order N-5-26.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CalHR is the California state government agency responsible for centralized human resources management of all state civil service employees. It administers employee salaries and benefits, job classifications, civil rights compliance, statewide training programs, examinations and recruitment, labor relations and collective bargaining (covering 21 bargaining units), and workforce planning across 153 state departments serving more than 245,000 employees. Services are delivered at no cost through digital platforms including the ECOS hiring system, CalLearns LMS, CalCareers portal, and various wellness and benefits programs.

Product overview

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) operates a comprehensive suite of HR services and digital platforms for California state government employees. The main offerings include the CalHR Website portal providing access to employee services, CalLearns Learning Management System for statewide training, ECOS for recruitment and hiring, CalCareer Services for civil service employment assistance, and CalEmployee Connect for payroll access. Supporting programs include the Savings Plus 401(k)/457(b) retirement plans, Benefits Administration (dental, vision, life, disability insurance), Live Well Employee Wellness Program powered by Grokker, California Leadership Academy for supervisor/manager training, California LEAN Academy for process improvement, and the California State Payroll System Project modernization initiative. The department manages collective bargaining for 21 bargaining units and oversees workforce planning, succession management, and performance management across state government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CalHR Website and Centralized HR Services The main web portal and centralized HR service for California state government employees, providing access to information about employee salaries, benefits, job classifications, civil rights, training, exams, recruitment and retention services for 153 state departments.
• CalLearns Learning Management System Statewide training platform used for trainings provided by CalHR and other statewide agencies, featuring online courses, certifications, and development programs for California state employees.
• ECOS (Electronic Career Opportunity System) Online system for selection functions including job advertisement, recruitment, and hiring processes for California state civil service positions.
• Live Well Employee Wellness Program Refreshed employee wellness program providing 4,000+ on-demand video classes covering fitness, mindfulness, nutrition, financial wellbeing and sleep, powered by the Grokker platform, available to active California state employees.
• Whole You Employee Assistance Program Mental health support and Employee Assistance Program covering more than 245,000 state employees across 153 departments, with first responders (firefighters, police officers, correctional staff) receiving the most extensive tier of care.
• Savings Plus Program 401(k) and 457(b) retirement savings plans available to most State of California employees, administered by CalHR.
• Benefits Administration Administers dental, vision, life, legal, and long-term disability insurance programs for California state employees.
• California Leadership Academy Foundational mandated training programs for Supervisors, Managers, and Executives in California state service, designed to teach leadership skills needed to manage employees effectively.
• California LEAN Academy Training program dedicated to modernizing government processes and improving performance using LEAN methodology, tools and techniques for California state employees and departments.
• CalCareer Services Service center providing job seekers with assistance regarding civil service employment, including veterans' preference processing for examinations, supported by a State Jobs Center in Sacramento offering in-person walk-in support.
• CalEmployee Connect Online portal for California state employees to access paychecks, earnings statements, W-2 statements, and secure employee information.
• California State Payroll System Project (CSPS) Statewide payroll system modernization project partnering with the State Controller's Office to implement a new payroll solution for California state employees.
• Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining Services CalHR manages collective bargaining and labor relations for 21 bargaining units representing all rank-and-file California civil service employees under the Ralph C. Dills Act, including contract negotiation and administration.
• Merit System Services Program CalHR provides merit system services to counties operating under the merit system, ensuring compliance with civil service employment standards and providing classification, examination, and certification services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% member improvement rates with appointments available in under two days on average under the Whole You EAP program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spring HealthcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 July 2026Spring Health was selected by CalHR to provide mental health support through the Whole You Employee Assistance Program, covering more than 245,000 state employees across 153 departments. The program features claims of 92% member improvement rates and appointments available in under two days on average. First responders receive the most extensive tier of care.
• GrokkercoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Grokker provides the platform powering CalHR's Live Well employee wellness program, offering 4,000+ expert-led on-demand video classes covering fitness, mindfulness, nutrition, financial wellbeing and sleep, plus 150+ wellness programs and a community of 130+ expert trainers.
• Financial Audit Services ProviderminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 July 2024CalHR awarded Financial Audit Services RFP #23-700-01 for audit services related to the Savings Plus Program investments and operations.
• Defined Contribution Consulting ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 2 July 2024CalHR released RFP #23-700-02 seeking bids for Defined Contribution Consulting Services for the Savings Plus Program, which offers 401(k) and 457(b) Plans to State of California employees.
• SETA (Sacramento Employment Training Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2024CalHR partnered with SETA to host the Work4CA Summer Career Fair, an initiative to connect job seekers with state employment opportunities in the Sacramento region.
• Kauffman Center for Tribal Consultation TrainingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2023CalHR awarded the Tribal Consultation Training Program RFP #23-200-01 to Kauffman Center for Tribal Consultation Training to implement training for effective government-to-government communication with California Indian Tribes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Federal counterpart responsible for human resource management of U.S. federal civilian employees. Directly comparable in function (civil service HR, benefits, classification) and structure (centralized HR agency), with the only meaningful difference being federal vs. state jurisdiction.
• New York State Department of Civil Service: State-level HR agency administering civil service examinations, classification, benefits, and workforce policy for New York State employees. Closest functional peer to CalHR in terms of scope, scale, and centralized state HR delivery model.
• Texas Human Resources Division (Office of Court Administration / State Auditor's Office HR): Texas state HR authority providing centralized workforce services including classification, compensation, benefits, and training. Comparable in regulatory scope and centralized state HR delivery, though serving a different state workforce.
• Florida Department of Management Services (Division of State HR): Florida's centralized state government HR and administrative services division. Comparable role providing statewide HR policy, benefits administration, training, and workforce management for Florida state employees.

Broad incumbents

• ADP: Largest private-sector HR services and payroll provider. Comparable in scale and the breadth of HR/payroll/benefits functions CalHR performs, but ADP serves private employers commercially rather than as a centralized state agency.
• Workday: Enterprise cloud platform for HR, payroll, and workforce planning. Workday is the technology vendor category CalHR would procure from for HCM modernization; comparable in functional scope but operates as a commercial SaaS vendor.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): Large HR, payroll, and workforce management software and services provider serving both public and private sectors. Comparable in workforce management and HR operations functionality CalHR delivers to state employees.
• Insperity: Professional Employer Organization providing outsourced HR administration including benefits, payroll, and compliance for small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable as a scaled HR administration provider, though serving private-sector clients commercially.
• TriNet: PEO providing co-employment HR services including payroll, benefits, and compliance for SMB employers. Comparable HR outsourcing model, though TriNet operates commercially in the private sector rather than as a centralized government HR authority.

Others

• Mercer: Global HR consulting and benefits administration firm. Comparable as a vendor/partner providing actuarial, benefits, and HR consulting services that government HR agencies like CalHR procure for specialized workstreams (e.g., Savings Plus defined contribution consulting).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/calhr_gov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Department of Human Resources