Council’s concern over ageing staff, with half key workers over 50
MORE than half of South Ayrshire Council staff in key frontline roles are more than 50 years old, it has been announced.
And some services, such as registered social care services, are set to see 60 per cent of staff reach 50 and over in the coming years.
Particular concerns have been raised about the impact of an ageing workforce on services that involve significant physical work, such as reablement and Care at Home.
A report to South Ayrshire Council staff highlighted the reliance the council has on ‘zero hours’ contracts where workers are not guaranteed minimum hours of work.
However, some positives were raised, with home working allowing certain posts to become attractive to those outwith the area.
An example was made of one member of staff who works remotely from Aberdeen.
The increasing age of the South Ayrshire Council workforce is one of the most pressing concerns and parallels the increasing age of residents in the county, with efforts set to be made to try and attract younger employees.
Around 55 per cent of staff are between 40 and 59 years old.
It is predicted that the number over the age of 55 will reach 40 per cent in the next five years.
Around a third of council employees live outside South Ayrshire, mainly in East and North Ayrshire.
The report to the Service and Performance Panel states: “Although migration into South Ayrshire is predicted to rise (which will increase the workforce talent pool to some extent), it will not be enough to offset the general population decrease.”
The number of staff employed by the council has increased over the last five years, reflecting a range of local and national activities and new funding.
In particular, the expansion of early years services ‘Some services are soon set to see 60 per cent of staff reach 50 and over’ and the recruitment of additional early years practitioners, teachers and school assistants, have increased staff the People directorate by 15 per cent.
Despite criticism of zero hours contracts, where a worker has no guaranteed hours, the council states these ‘casual’ workers provide ‘an essential role in service delivery, by flexibly supporting the core workforce during high demand, seasonal peaks, workforce absence and annual leave’.
It continues: “The Council’s reliance on casual staff is significant with an average of 115,000 hours per year worked by casuals, and for some services the average number of hours worked per casual can be over 600 hours.
“If the Council becomes too reliant on casuals who have strong service knowledge and experience, then there is an associated risk.”
The cost of living crisis has added another element to the challenges facing the council, increasing the likelihood that those who are eligible to retire may not be able to afford to do so.
Retirement is also affected by the nature of the work, as those in frontline services and operational roles experience ‘burn out’ and may look to retire as early as possible.