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2.8 Deputy J.A. Hilton of St. Helier of the Chief Minister regarding the residency requirements for the recruitment of an Economist in the public sector:
Will the Chief Minister explain why an advertisement has been placed in the U.K. publication Public Servant dated February 2012 for the position of Economist, States of Jersey, which informs potential applications that 5 years' residency is not required?
Senator I.J. Gorst (The Chief Minister):
The position advertised is a (j) category post and therefore does not require applicants to have a 5 year residency requirement. It has, however, been advertised locally only on a number of times since July 2011.
- Deputy J.A. Hilton:
Thank you for that. When I saw the original advertisement I was shocked to see a position of this standing which, I think, must be Civil Service Grade 11, being advertised in the U.K. publication. I was just shocked because of the sheer number of unemployed we have in this Island that the States of Jersey see fit to advertise this position. I find it really, really difficult to understand that there is not somebody among the 1,500 we currently have unemployed who would not fit the bill for this position. If there is not what are we doing about succession planning? Maybe the Chief Minister could give me some idea what we are doing in that regard.
Senator I.J. Gorst :
Yes, I share, to some extent, the concern that the Deputy raises certainly with regard to succession planning. This is a ... the Economics Unit, historically, has used external economic advice. The creation of the extra post a number of years ago meant that we could reduce costs, so it costs us less to have a full-time what are in effect 3 full-time posts, than it does to use external U.K. economic advice so there is a cost saving there. But the greater issue to my mind is how are we ensuring that in future, and in due course, we are training graduates to be able to step into these positions so that we can ensure that local people are able to take up these posts? I have spoken, yesterday, to the Chief Economic Adviser and he is quite willing to undertake to, as well as this post, take on a graduate in due course, should one be found, and I am hopeful that, perhaps, we will be able to find one, so that we do not need to go outside of the Island in future.
- The Deputy of St. Ouen :
Just following on from the answer that the Chief Minister gave, what attempts have been made to seek out graduates that could take this particular vacancy at present? Could he also answer the question as to whether or not this particular post has been advertised widely on-Island because our information is that it has not?
Senator I.J. Gorst :
I will take the last point first. As far as I am aware it has been advertised widely. If the Deputy has evidence to the contrary then I would be delighted to be apprised of that and I will go back to the department but I have been assured that, in fact, it has been advertised widely. This particular position is not one which a graduate could fill. When I talk about a graduate position I am talking about planning for the future so that that graduate can be trained to be able to take over these posts in due course and that is exactly what we should be doing. In my opinion we have not been doing that.