Public sector failing to recruit and retain senior staff

The public sector is struggling to recruit and retain senior staff despite the rise in unemployment levels, according to the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)/Hays survey.

The survey, Resourcing and Talent Planning, found that 82% of public sector organisations had difficulties filling some vacancies over the past few months, with 38% reporting it was particularly hard to fill vacancies at manager and specialist levels.

The problem of recruitment has been blamed on pay freezes – 43% said this was one of the reasons for their difficulties - and the negative perception of the sector as a result of pension reforms and budget cuts.

A lack of specialist and technical skills is cited as the biggest barrier to recruitment, with 71% saying there had been an increase in applications from unsuitable candidates.

The public sector has also reported problems with retaining staff, with 40% saying it is most difficult to retain mangers and professional level staff (compared to just 25% in 2011).

Ms Rebecca Clake, research adviser at CIPD, said: ‘Headlines focus on high levels of unemployment and public sector cut backs, but those 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.

‘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.’

The public sector is facing difficulties recruiting, even though UK unemployment levels hit a 16-year high earlier this year.