Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
57. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the additional measures he is considering to attract more workers to the public sector, particularly in sectors experiencing staff shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27664/26]
View answerA broad range of factors influences the ability of employers to attract, recruit and retain workers. In a labour market with low unemployment and skills shortages in a number of sectors, public service staffing has continued to grow, increasing by almost one-third between 2015 and December 2025, from 301,589 to 417,464 full-time equivalents. Numbers increased by 2.6 per cent in 2025 alone.
Further growth is planned in 2026, with public service employment forecast to exceed 438,700 staff, including local authorities and the Oireachtas. Budget 2026 provides for additional capacity in priority services, including over 3,300 health staff.
The public service remains an attractive employer, offering competitive pay, secure employment, pension provision and flexible working arrangements. Pay is governed by collective agreements, with the current Public Service Agreement 2024–2026 provides for cumulative pay increases of 9.25 per cent and a local bargaining provision over its lifetime.
As the Deputy will be aware, under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, my role relates to staffing of the Civil Service. Responsibility for staffing arrangements in other parts of the wider public service rests with the relevant sectoral Ministers.
Within the Civil Service, a wide range of attraction-focused measures are being progressed to broaden and diversify the talent pipeline and to strengthen the employee value proposition. These include large-scale open recruitment campaigns across all grades, supported by ongoing improvements to recruitment processes and candidate experience, and the expansion of eligibility requirements to include Stamp 4 and 5 permission holders.
The Public Appointments Service is the centralised recruiter for the Civil and Public service. It has worked to strengthen the visibility and appeal of public service careers, informed by research showing gaps in public awareness and perceptions.
Targeted attraction and recruitment approaches are also being used in specialist and hard-to-fill areas such as ICT, digital, data, finance, legal and policy roles, supported by tailored competitions and approved specialist arrangements. Flexible working, including remote and blended options, is now well embedded and remains a key attraction factor.
Within the Civil Service, my Department has developed an internship framework and a Transition Year (TY) Guide to support Departments in using internships and TY placements as structured early-engagement routes and to support potential future recruitment. In addition, the Public Appointments Service uses a TY schools engagement kit in its outreach to secondary schools to raise early awareness of Civil Service careers.
Further attraction measures include enhanced graduate, apprentice, returnship and internship programmes, targeted outreach to under-represented groups, clear career mobility and development pathways, and a continued emphasis on wellbeing and inclusive workplace practices.
