Published September 2015
This study and survey is intended to inform the on-going debate about the impact of the pay squeeze on the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS and local government. It offers a review and commentary on what is happening, based around the views and opinions of HR professionals.
Employment practices and HR management in the NHS and local government varies, and is shaped by a range of factors – including the type of public service and location. Furthermore, pay rates and recruitment and retention issues are different for different grades and different functions. However, both NHS and local government staff have been affected by the pay squeeze, which has seen wages in the public sector fall relative to those in the private sector.
Up-to-date information and data on recruitment and retention in the public services are not always readily available. It is particularly difficult, for example, to access information on how organisations, like NHS Trusts, view the impact of fiscal austerity and the pay squeeze on recruitment and retention. Much of the hard data is historical and often fails to capture the full labour market and organisational impacts, for instance on workloads and morale. Issues such as confidentiality, financial pressures, competition for certain staff and local factors also make it difficult to identify sector-wide (and cross-sector) trends. We therefore hope that the report at least adds to the evidence and gives some useful insights into the challenges facing all those involved with recruitment and retention in the NHS and local government.