Interesting article 2012

Interesting article . It is dated 2012 but even so just gives you some idea of the competition for public service jobs................


BREDA HEFFERNAN – UPDATED 26 NOVEMBER 2012 03:19 AM

ALMOST 3,750 aspiring police officers applied to join the Garda Reserve last year but just 271 -- approximately in every 14 -- made the grade.

Indeed, the search for a permanent and pensionable job in a time of rising unemployment has seen around 14 job seekers apply for every public service appointment.

In its annual report for 2007, the Commission for Public Service Appointments, the body responsible for monitoring most appointments to the civil service, An Garda Siochana and the Health Services Executive (HSE), found there were 107,415 applicants for just 7,441 posts.

The civil service received the bulk of the interest, with 71,747 job seekers vying for 3,107 posts, while the HSE saw just under 29,000 applicants competing for 2,679 jobs.

The commission also oversaw internal recruitment for 1,810 jobs.

Some 273 gardai were promoted to the rank of sergeant last year, while 90 rose to the position of inspector. The civil service and HSE together filled 1,447 jobs from among their existing workforce.

Last year also saw a sharp rise in the number of complaints being referred to the commission by disgruntled job applicants. It received 20 formal complaints, up from just five in 2006.

Grievances included claims of discrimination on the grounds of age, while one woman complained she missed out on a job because she was pregnant.

Another worker complained they were unfairly treated because the interview panel had based its decision on a biased and untrue assessment report from their supervisor.

Other gripes ranged from employers changing selection criteria after the closing date for applications, to inappropriate people sitting on interview boards. One complainant claimed that the board used restrictive job requirements that were not necessary for the post.

Of the complaints received, the Commission delivered a decision in 12 of them, while another seven will be finalised this year. It ruled it was not the appropriate forum to decide in the remaining complaint.