Current News

REC campaign calls for a new approach to public sector resourcing

An ill-conceived dash for short-term cuts in public expenditure could cause irreparable damage to the delivery of frontline services. The public sector needs reform and new models of delivery, not knee-jerk job cuts, warns Kevin Green chief executive officer of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).  

Today the REC launches its public sector resourcing campaign, Make It Work! The campaign will promote alternative methods of delivering public sector services by making the most of flexible resourcing and acquiring new talent to lead the transformation of public sector organisations.  

The REC’s campaign will focus on convincing the major political parties and public sector organisations that reform, rather than random cuts, is what’s needed in response to the public sector expenditure crisis.  

Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, comments: 

“A new approach to public sector resourcing is urgently needed. If new and workable methods aren’t implemented, short-term cost reductions will severely hamper the delivery of public services. Flexible resourcing must be seen as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.” 

The REC is calling for political parties and public sector organisations to recognise: ·            

• Creative solutions to reduce the cost of back office functions – centralising key functions such as payroll and the collection of council tax has the potential to generate huge savings by streamlining processes internally. There is also the opportunity for these tasks to be outsourced to the private sector who could reduce the cost of back office functions further.
• Improved procurement– procurement must look to develop more long-term relationships with suppliers at both a national and local level rather than simply working towards target-driven cost reduction, regardless of the quality of service.      
• The cost of public sector employment – the cost of public sector pensions for example is going to be £21.6 billion, this is simply unaffordable. A review of the overall cost of employment in the public sector will throw up significant trade-offs that employers and workers need to agree on in order to reduce costs and improve frontline services.      

The recruitment industry is well placed to help the public sector with these huge challenges in the following ways:  

• Maximising top talent  - by finding and attracting the long-term leadership capability needed to lead this level of change within public sector organisations  
• Assisting the public sector in resourcing more effectively - the use of interim and specialist contractors who have the proven skills to be put to work quickly and for a limited duration can avoid the costs associated with permanent employment within the public sector. This is also much more cost effective than the continued use of management consultancy firms.
• By providing a flexible workforce - recruitment agencies and the use of temporary or contract staff can also give public sector organisation the ability to ‘flex’ their workforce so they can easily respond to demand and be as agile as the private sector. Education providers and the NHS use locum doctors, temporary nurses and supply teachers every day to cover for sickness, training and unexpected peaks in demand. This flexible resourcing could easily be replicated in other parts of the public sector.  
• Outsourcing recruitment to the private sector - outsourcing public sector HR and recruitment to private sector providers should be explored as this will reduce costs which can then be invested back into frontline services.  

Kevin Green concludes: 

“Experience shows that if sustainable reform is not implemented, expenditure will increase as soon as the pressure on costs is removed. Improving current processes combined with new ways of working could deliver huge efficiency in the public sector It’s time for the public sector to take a new approach and use its recruitment partners to help it do things differently and more effectively.”  

For more information visit the website: www.rec.uk.com/resourcing