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February 2023 - Local Government

9 out of 10 councils experiencing staff recruitment and retention problems: A survey of councils has revealed that nine out of 10 are experiencing difficulties when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.

The 2022 Workforce Survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) polled heads of HR at councils across England, also finding that 8 in 10 are experiencing difficulty when it comes to recruiting children's social workers, and 72% saying they are having problems retaining them. Similarly, seven in 10 councils are finding it challenging to recruit adult social care workers, with more than half (57%) struggling to retain them, and six in 10 are finding it difficult to recruit planning officers.

Councils also reported difficulties in recruiting HGV drivers (22%) and buidling control officers (43%) as well as environmental health officers (45%).

Addressing the issues

The research revealed that councils are seeking to address these issues in a number of ways by offering potential employees options such as flexible working, and better training opportunities, as well as growing the number of apprenticeships on offer. More than six in 10 (62%) said they were looking to grow their apprenticeship offer in 2022/23.

Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said:

“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.”

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