| SPOTLIGHT |
Many local authorities are struggling to recruit and retain lawyers despite the softening of the legal recruitment market, according to the Local Government Association's (LGA) Local Government Workforce Survey 2009.
Released on 20 November 2009, the report shows that legal professionals remain in the top ten occupations most frequently reported to present recruitment difficulties for councils.
Some 27% of councils surveyed said they were struggling to recruit legal staff, the same proportion as in the equivalent 2008 survey. However, councils have found it easier to retain their existing legal staff, with just 11% reporting difficulties in this respect, the same proportion as last year.
Amy Bullock, manager of the Legal Division at the Sellick Partnership in Yorkshire, said that many district councils and smaller authorities struggle to attract new talent because they are unable to offer the remuneration packages offered by the county councils and single-tier authorities.
“This is a particular problem for those smaller councils located in close proximity to large metropolitan areas, where the city councils and the metropolitan borough councils will be offering up to £15k more for specific roles,” Bullock said.
Katie Haworth, a consultant in the Legal Division at Badenoch & Clark, said geography may be an issue, with some district councils located in regions where there are less lawyers by population and unable to find lawyers willing to relocate from the more populated areas
The report highlights a number of specific areas that local authorities are struggling to recruit for across the UK. Vacancies for childcare, adult care and employment lawyers, including those experienced with equal pay issues, are among the hardest to fill.
“Specialists in childcare, adult law and mental health are highly sought after but the number of readily available job seekers does not meet the demand,” Katie Allen, business manager at Hays Legal said. “Specialist procurement lawyers are also very hard to come by.”
There is widespread sentiment that the pressure to recruit and retain legal talent within budgetary constraints requires a creative approach.
According to Bullock, in more regional locations, market supplements are frequently offered to candidates to boost salary packages. This could increase a salary by up to £5k. Smaller local authorities are also compensating for the areas that they are unable to recruit for by creating partnerships and shared services with other authorities. “This also enables them to share knowledge, reduce costs and increase their buying power,” she said.
Haworth emphasised a more proactive approach is needed for recruitment advertising. “A lot of councils only advertise in local press which does not target that many people,” Haworth said. “Advertising more broadly is really important.”
Hiring for senior positions has consistently been a significant hurdle, with some vacancies open up to a year before the right person is found. To overcome difficulties in recruiting for senior level positions, including heads of department, Bullock suggested that local authorities recruit for these roles on a locum basis to fill the skills gap.
Retention on the other hand, is less about salary and more about career progression in a less rigid work environment, according to Allen.
“Candidates want to know that they can progress within an organisation and must be confident that hard work will at some point be rewarded with promotion,” she said. “Rigid structures often prevent this.”
Commentators have highlighted the main incentives to retain staff include the introduction of comprehensive training programmes, flexible leave entitlements, flexible working hours, home-working and lease car facilities. Haworth also suggested expanding the legal skills set of existing lawyers.
In the face of changing private sector demands, one factor persuading lawyers to remain firmly seated in the public sector is its “added security.”
"Though local authorities do continue to struggle to attract and retain employees, there has been a reduction in this trend in 2009 as the market has transformed and more legal professionals have been tempted by the added security of the public sector," Bullock said.
For more information on the report, visit: http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1956067
