Workforce challenges in the Northern Ireland Civil Service identified in 2020 have "escalated", the Northern Ireland Audit Office has warned.
In a new report, the audit office warns the NICS has failed to deliver the scale and pace of reform necessary to achieve value for money in its workforce and people management.
The report finds there has been a lack of progress in key strategic areas, such as workforce planning and recruitment. Concerns raised in the report include high numbers of vacancies, a rising reliance on temporary staffing, and increasing sickness absence.
The report notes that:
- Some 5,486 vacant posts were declared by the NICS in April 2025, up from 1,420 in April 2019
- The number of agency workers has more than doubled: rising from 2,099 in April 2019 to 4,939 in April 2025
- The number of temporarily promoted staff has gone up from 1,844 in April 2019 to 3,192 in April 2025
- Average working days lost to sickness absence has risen from 12.6 to 13.4 in the same period.
The report also raises concerns over both the reliability of workforce data used to identify resource requirements and the affordability of filling the high volume of posts currently declared as vacant.
The findings follow a 2020 report from the NIAO on capacity and capability, which recommended 23 changes to reform how the NICS plans, recruits, manages and develops its workforce.
A 2021 follow-up report from the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee expressed deep concerns about “the lack of planning and foresight” by the NICS, warning of inadequate numbers in post, a lack of skills and experience in key functional areas and an overdependence on the use of temporary measures to fill vacancies. It made a further 12 recommendations to address the issues and stressed that it had not sought to replicate the recommendations made by NIAO, but agreed with them and stated that it was important, therefore, that all recommendations were addressed.
The new NIAO report, published today, notes that many of the recommendations are yet to be fully implemented. Only five of the 23 recommendations made by the NIAO in 2020 have been fully achieved, with 13 partially achieved, and just five of the 12 recommendations made by PAC have been fully delivered.
The report also identifies some improvements, including enhanced governance arrangements with the establishment of a People Committee, a new People Strategy for 2025-30, and the launch of new apprenticeship, student and work placement programmes.
However, it concludes that “without urgent and sustained NICS-wide collective leadership and delivery, the NICS risks continued failure to demonstrate value for money and to meet public service accountability expectations”.
The report makes seven recommendations, including:
- The establishment of data-driven metrics to identify underutilised capacity, optimise resource allocation, and ensure that staff are skilled and performing to maximum strategic effect
- In developing strategic workforce plans over the next two years, departments should place a strong emphasis on identifying critical posts and succession planning by taking proactive measures to maintain continuity in key leadership roles
- Integrating the outstanding recommendations of the 2020 and 2021 reports into the People Strategy 2025-2030.
Comptroller and auditor general Dorinnia Carville, who leads the NIAO, said: “Strong leadership and a rightsized workforce that has the requisite skills are essential for the NICS to successfully deliver critical public services and meet the priorities set out in the 2024-2027 Programme for Government.
“This requires a modernised approach to how the workforce is planned, recruited and managed. It is very disappointing that progress on implementing such reforms has fallen short of expectations arising from previous commitments, and that sickness absence rates remain high."
She said the publication of a five-year People Strategy in April 2025 is "welcome" and "strong, collective leadership and urgent action from the NICS Board and senior civil servants will be key in delivering it".
Carville added that there is "an opportunity now to utilise new technologies to accelerate the scale of transformation needed to improve efficiency and effectiveness and maximise the value for money of the NICS".
Commenting on the report, Robert Murtagh, the FDA national officer for Northern Ireland, said the report highlights significant issues facing the NICS, including sickness absence, vacancy levels and overreliance on temporary staffing solutions, but "fails to sufficiently analyse the difficult context within which the NICS is operating".
“It is simply an unavoidable fact that the NICS and its leaders have faced significant challenges in recent years, stemming from the pandemic, Windsor framework implementation, collapse of the Executive and ongoing budgetary and resource challenges," Murtagh said.
“Despite these challenges, progress has been made. While the pace of change may be less than hoped, it is vital that time is taken to ensure transformation is done in tandem with the civil service workforce, not imposed on them.”
Murtagh also called for the size and shape of the civil service to be determined by a "coherent and consistent vision from ministers".
"Civil servants need clear objectives and proper resources to deliver better outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland," he said.
He added: “The structure of the NICS is unique compared to counterparts in Great Britain, with nine departments, each their own legal entities with civil servants accountable to their individual minister. This constitutional reality is reflective of the NI political structure and requires ministerial leadership to successfully deliver civil service transformation and ensure value for money for taxpayers."
The Northern Ireland Executive has been approached for comment.