I. The commissioner of the department of employment security is authorized to employ all the necessary officers, accountants, clerks, agents, investigators, auditors and other persons necessary for the proper administration of this chapter and, under a classification plan, to fix the amount of their compensation according to the responsibility and difficulty of the work, quality and length of service, and other relevant factors, and to take such action as he deems necessary and appropriate to enable department personnel to participate in a plan similar to the government-wide service benefit plan.
II. Selection, retention and promotion of personnel, excepting those positions which by federal law need not be under a merit system of personnel administration, shall be on the basis of merit and shall include ability, efficiency, fitness, veterans’ statutory preferences, an open competitive examination where feasible, training and experience.
III. No discrimination may be exercised against any person in recruitment, examination, appointment, training, promotion, retention, or any other personnel action, because of race, national origin, political or religious opinions or affiliations, or other non-merit factors.
IV. The commissioner shall fix the duties and powers of all department personnel and may authorize any such person to perform any of the functions of the commissioner under this chapter. The commissioner may, other statutes to the contrary notwithstanding, bond such persons and in such amounts as he, in his sole discretion, deems proper and necessary. The federal statutes and regulations, and standards promulgated by the United States office of personnel management, applicable to a merit system of personnel administration in state employment security agencies shall be applicable to the department. The commissioner, as well as any other affected state agency, is authorized to take whatever steps are necessary to comply therewith.