3 October 2012

Question mark over government recruitment service spending
The Public Service Association is questioning why the government is spending millions of dollars on contracting out recruitment services.

All-of-government contracts for recruitment services have been negotiated with 44 recruitment companies which the Economic Development Minister says will deliver millions of dollars in savings.

The contracts are for the supply of recruitment services to government agencies for the hiring of permanent employees, temporary staff and contractors in the corporate, administration and information technology areas.

“It’s interesting that while the government is touting savings of up to $16.8 million on the negotiation of these contracts, the real question is why so much money is being paid out in the first place,” says PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott.

“Some specialist roles might require outside recruiting expertise but government departments have their own human resources teams which should be responsible for the bulk of recruitment processes.”

“It appears to be yet another sign of the government’s preference for using consultants rather than public servants. Instead of talking about how much money is being saved through these contracts, the government should be telling us how much it is spending on them,” she says.

ENDS

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