Tackling the staffing crisis

With very high vacancy rates across the public sector, what can be done to fill these gaps?

We know that the public sector is facing a staffing crisis. According to the i newspaper, in September last year there were 165,000 care worker vacancies in the UK. NHS England has a vacancy rate of 9.7 per cent and one in eight newly qualified teachers leave the profession within one year, and almost one-third leave within five years.   

Vacancy rates
The Society of Local Authority Chief Executive Officers (Solace) has found that 33 per cent of council chief executives and senior managers in England do not have enough skilled staff to run services to an acceptable standard.
    
In Bridgend, between April 1 and December 31 2022, more than 20 per cent of job adverts posted for positions in Bridgend Council received no applicants. A council report found that staff turnover for 2021/22 was 13.09 per cent. The report said: “It is critical for the council to be able to recruit and retain a sufficient number of employees with the right skills to deliver council services and priorities. This is increasingly important at a time of growing pressures on services. Councils are continuing to report recruitment difficulties and like many employers across the UK, are operating in a challenging recruitment market, with high vacancy rates and skills gaps in some key areas of services.”
    
Meanwhile, according to a recent poll by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), nearly two-fifths of public sector workers have taken steps to leave their profession or are actively considering it. The poll found that over a third (36 per cent) of key workers in the public sector cite low pay as a reason for wanting to quit and that feeling undervalued (27 per cent), a poor work life balance (23 per cent) and a lack of career progression (23 per cent) are also major factors in people quitting.
    
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Our amazing key workers in the public sector got this country through the pandemic.
    
“But many are now leaving the jobs they love because of pay cuts, brutal workloads and years of feeling undervalued.
    
“It is shameful that 1 in 6 are having to skip meals to get by. This is unsustainable.”
    
The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that workforce shortages are adding to service pressures. A recent survey by the LGA found that more than 8 in 10 councils are having difficulties recruiting children’s social workers and almost three quarters (72 per cent) are having problems retaining them. Furthermore, almost 6 in 10 councils (58 per cent) are struggling to recruit planning officers and more than a fifth (22 per cent) are struggling to recruit HGV drivers.

Recruitment initiatives
The LGA has highlighted that councils are trying to tackle recruitment issues with initiatives such as offering more flexible working, running targeted recruitment campaigns locally and offering accessible training and development opportunities.
    
Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said: “Working in local government is hugely challenging and varied but equally rewarding. It is a great place to grow your skills and your career.
    
“Our workforce changes lives for the better every day and helps keep communities running. They care for your family, protect children from harm, ensure your favourite takeaway is safe and keep our streets clean.
    
“Local workforce shortages are adding to the challenges facing our local services.
    
“In the coming years, some services are likely to continue to see a significant increase in demand which they will not be able to meet without an increase in the supply of skilled staff. Government investment in local government and its workforce is key to ensure services are protected and also to delivering its own policy agenda.”
    
Despite the alarming statistics, there are recruitment campaigns running across the public sector.
    
The Student Loans Company has launched a recruitment campaign to mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week (6-10 March). 12 new apprentices will be recruited in Glasgow, with successful applicants joining the Operations team in June.
    
The 15-month programme is being run in conjunction with education provider, Babington and apprentices will work towards their Business Administration qualification.
    
Jackie Currie, Interim Executive Director of Operations at SLC said: “It’s fantastic that we are able to launch our latest apprentice search during Scottish Apprenticeship Week and I’m looking forward to welcoming a new cohort of apprentices to the Operations Team this summer. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to get great experience with a large public sector organisation and achieve a recognised qualification at the same time.
    
“At SLC we’re passionate about growing a talented, diverse and skilled workforce. Our Apprenticeship programme forms an important part of this approach which is why we make sure our apprentices are equipped with the tools they need to develop their expertise and achieve their career goals.”