As Councillors prepare to set budgets for next financial year, one of the most significant problems facing the organisation is being highlighted in a document called ‘Our Workforce Challenge’.
In common with many organisations and businesses in the isles, the Council faces real problems in recruiting to many vacant positions, and needs to adapt to the changing profile of its workforce.
The latest figures show that the Council has around 200 full time equivalent (FTE) vacancies. Across Community Health and Social Care alone there are 90 – covering that with overtime and agency workers cost around £3.2 million last financial year, which is expected to rise to around £3.7 million for this year.
The Council’s workforce is getting older, with more than half of its staff over 45, and fewer young people are coming forward to take up employment. Attracting people to work in Shetland can also be difficult, given that many pay levels are set nationally, and the cost of living is much higher here.
Shetland’s population profile is getting older – and while that’s the case for Scotland as a whole, the expectation is that the isles will face a more significant problem in future years.
Council Leader Emma Macdonald: “We’ve had problems recruiting to vacant posts for some time, but the situation continues to get worse. We simply can’t keep trying and failing to deliver the same services with fewer staff.
“We’re also aware of how important it is to support those people who have been working hard to cover vacancies in their teams – that added workload and pressure can have a serious impact on mental and physical health.
“It’s a priority for our managers now to look carefully across everything we do and the potential for adapting our services accordingly.”