Public service struggling to resolve service staff shortages according to Fórsa

The civil service is struggling to recruit staff in many areas because salaries are not keeping pace with those available in comparable private sector jobs, according to Fórsa.

Speaking at Fórsa’s Civil Service Division conference in Killarney, union official Andy Pike said state bodies are finding it difficult to recruit a wide range of staff including cleaners, solicitors, meteorologists, radio officers, technical agricultural officers, valuers, Oireachtas researchers, translation staff, and special education needs organisers.

Mr Pike said “The problem is starkest in professional and technical areas, but it’s not confined to these specialisms. Some civil service bodies have even struggled to hire cleaners in recent months,“
“Across the state’s laboratories, law offices and many specialist agencies, the current starting salaries are no longer competitive compared to the private sector labour market for specialist staff.“

The Public Service Pay Commission’s examination of recruitment and retention issues was one of the measures won by unions in the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA). The commission has been asked to establish the extent and nature of recruitment and retention problems and, where they exist, to recommend measures to address them.