Northern Ireland Civil Service to fill 900 posts as job freeze ends

The Department of Finance said lifting the recruitment freeze was "essential to fill vacancies"

A recruitment freeze has been lifted in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in order to fill up to 900 vacancies.

Permanent secretaries in Stormont departments have decided to allow allocations to general service posts, which had been paused since February.

Plans are also being made to launch a new competition for entry-level roles.

The Department of Finance said it was "essential to fill vacancies to deliver services, replace staff who have left and respond to new demands".

A spokesman added that each department "must assess the affordability of all its posts".

It comes as Stormont departments face substantial cuts this year due to a funding gap of about £800m.

A budget was set by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of local ministers, with civil servants left to make decisions to balance the books.

Stormont's power-sharing government collapsed in 2022 after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew in protest against post-Brexit trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

'Fill 902 vacancies'

Northern Ireland's top civil servant Jayne Brady said in the summer that Stormont departments had "reached the limit" of what they could do to manage budget pressures.

It is understood senior officials have been concerned about the impact a recruitment freeze could have on delivering services in the short term and, longer term, the mix of skills and experience across the civil service

Jayne Brady, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, warned departments had reached the limit of what they could do to manage budget pressures

A Department of Finance spokesman said a temporary pause had been put on "general service allocations" in February but that the civil service was asked by departments at the end of September "to proceed to fill 902 general service vacancies".

"Departments have now been asked to review the number of vacancies to be filled with approved funding so numbers can be confirmed," he added.

The spokesman added that "plans are being progressed for a new administrative officer competition".

As of April last year, there were more than 22,500 full-time-equivalent staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Just over 1,000 people left the civil service in 2021-22 for reasons including resignation, retirement and health issues.