24 January 2013

Local authorities rely on temporary workers to fill positions


Laura Sharman

Local authorities are using temporary labour to fill redundant or vacant positions across departments such as IT, procurement, HR and legal, according to figures from Comensura’s Government Index.

The Index finds that in the final quarter of 2012, temporary labour usage by local authorities decreased by 0.1% - the lowest decrease of last year. However, temporary positions increased by 34% in IT, 31% in legal and 19% in professional job roles.

Managing director at Comensura, Jamie Horton, said: ‘This is a transition period in an age of austerity. The initial reaction to spending cuts was a blanket cut in the use of temporary labour in local authorities. However as time moves on and the cuts move deeper, redundant roles or vacant positions appear to be being filled with temporary workers.

‘We don’t expect this trend to change any time soon as the economic climate makes it difficult for organisations to gain authorisation for new permanent staff.’

Local authorities in the West Midlands increased dependency on temporary labour by 31%, while those in the East Midlands decreased temporary labour usage by 27%.



Your comments

We see much of the views of J Smith who clearly worked for Havark Council in the past. Perhaps Marc Huntingdon will tell us what he thinks.

Patrick Newman, ex local government, Stevenage, Added: Monday, 28 January 2013 11:08 AM

The logic, Ayub, is that first the Local Govt budget cuts are addressed by making people's lives miserable through redundancies (although some have benefitted big time with heavy chequess). By doing this the Sr. management can keep their jobs and look good too as they have done their cost saving exercise. Again fully justified exercise as the Council has to complete what has been left behind by less expensive permanent staff.

A local Govt officer, Added: Monday, 28 January 2013 10:50 AM

This is the great con of the public sector. While the FT employees sit on their ass somewhere. Or the useless ones are hidden from view .. They hire loads of 'temporary workers'. - Stop it now, its an affront to the taxpayer. Get the FT employees out and doing something useful. The taxpayer only needs the front line. - Not the climate change, european, diversity, compliance & political officers. - Sack the Chief Execs they are the incompetent architects of this debacle.

J Smith, Added: Saturday, 26 January 2013 09:12 PM

How can anyone be surprised about this? But as Patrick says it comes at an extra cost, albeit hidden. I was made redundant from a Council 2 years ago. Since then there have been three people in one of the jobs left when the team was reduced in size and other people on short term and temporary contracts helping out. Two of the three had to learn the job and the politics from scratch whereas existing team members knew the patch like the back of their hand. What savings were really made I wonder?

Alison Derrick, Added: Friday, 25 January 2013 08:23 PM

Agency staff are technicaly classified as temporary staff. Agency staff who for longer than 12 months in the post should replaced with permanent staff. Some local authorities have the whole team (highly paid) as Agency staff including their Manager who manages that team, whilst permannent staff are made redundant, where is the logic in that, in current climate of cost savings.

Ayub. Sotta. Senior Technician Leicester City Council., Added: Friday, 25 January 2013 11:12 AM

Any one who has worked with temporary workers over a lengthy period knows there are many hidden costs such as extra management time, on job training etc.

Patrick Newman, ex local government, Stevenage, Added: Thursday, 24 January 2013 01:58 PM



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