The civil service struggles to attract and retain specialist staff. Since 2010 the civil service has been subject to pay restrictions, which have limited its ability to offer progressive pay packages to staff. Areas such as Digital and Commercial have struggled to recruit and retain specialists because there is strong external competition for these skills. Functions have introduced their own pay flexibility measures to attract external talent and increase skills retention. However, pay flexib...

The civil service struggles to attract and retain specialist staff. Since 2010 the civil service has been subject to pay restrictions, which have limited its ability to offer progressive pay packages to staff. Areas such as Digital and Commercial have struggled to recruit and retain specialists because there is strong external competition for these skills. Functions have introduced their own pay flexibility measures to attract external talent and increase skills retention. However, pay flexibility creates pay disparities between departments and an internal market for specialists which risks some government departments and projects missing out Type: conclusion | Number: 2 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2021 2.2 The Cabinet Office confirms that all matters related to pay for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are delegated to departments. Functions have intr