Public sector organisations face increased problems in recruiting and retaining staff – particularly at more senior levels – as skilled individuals shy away from the sector as the impact of the cuts is felt and the image of the sector wanes.
So argues the latest annual snapshot of the state of the UK recruitment market out of HR professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which has again teamed up with recruiters Hays Resourcing and Talent Planning.
Despite the high unemployment rate, reports the study, 82% of all organisations surveyed reported difficulties in filling at least some vacancies over the past few months. This figure has increased since the 2011 survey, with the biggest rise coming from public sector organisations – where the 2012 figure is also 82% compared to 66% in 2011.
Managers particularly hard to find
Recruitment of managers and senior level staff within the public sector is a particular problem, warns the research, claiming 38% of public sector organisations surveyed reported it was especially hard to fill vacancies at manager and specialist levels. A further 19% reported problems with finding candidates for senior manager and director level roles.
Obstacles cited; pay freezes coupled with a perceived reduction in benefits as a consequence of pension reforms may be responsible. The study says 43% of public sector employers cited pay as one of the reasons for their difficulties.
The public sector was also almost three times more likely – at 24% compared to 9% – than private sector services to report that the image of the sector/occupation/organisation was a problem in terms of attracting new recruits. This comes as large public sector employers are reporting more vacancies compared to this time last year (the median number of vacancies in organisations with more than 5000 employees is 275 this year – last year, it was only 150).
A lack of specialist or technical skills continues to be the biggest reason cited for recruitment difficulties across all sectors, with 71% of organisations also highlighting that there has been an increase in applications from "unsuitable candidates".
Alongside recruitment, retention of employees has also been an issue, with two-thirds of organisations reporting problems. Despite on-going austerity measures, retention challenges appear to have particularly increased in the public sector, with managers and professional level staff reported as the most difficult to retain (40% reported this as an issue compared to just 25% in 2011).
For Rebecca Clake, Research Adviser at CIPD, “These stark statistics mask an ongoing struggle for employers to find the skills and experience they need to drive their organisations forward. This is a particular issue in the public sector where, now more than ever, they require talented and experienced individuals at senior levels of the organisation to help steer them through times of change.
Putting new recruits off?
“The image of the public sector is putting off some new recruits. This, coupled with widespread pay freezes and pension reform, makes jobs in public sector organisations less and less appealing to those individuals who have the skills required for the vacancies.”
Barney Ely, Director at Hays Human Resources, adds that, “As this year’s report shows organisations across the UK are faced with a fundamental challenge to attract and retain top talent, and this is acutely felt in the public sector. It is therefore critical for organisations to understand the recruitment trends within the UK, the marketplace and their organisation and to delve into the complex dynamics between them.
"By attracting and retaining the best talent, organisations of all sizes and from all sectors will be best able to achieve their objectives.“
One Response
It is hardly surprising
The public sector is being perceived as a place where people are doing easy jobs(badly); getting paid well and getting monster pensions.
It is not being portrayed and a service to the public or an enabler of economic and social growth
So I can see how some of the best and brightest will think ‘no thanks’
In conjunction – no loyalty is being shown to these services has workers are increasingly been treated as if they don’t matter, are having their ‘benefits’ eroded or again that they are lazy and shiftless – this when they see their peers able to command better salaries and better benefits without being seen as a drain on society.
A public sector employee is becoming a dirty word
Without it we will not have the stable society we have enjoyed for so long… we will soon be looking back and wondering where it all went, when we are tying to get by doing everything for ourselves without ‘public’ support