The Power of Collaboration: Changing Public Sector Recruitment 

By Chloe Herrmann, Principal Consultant – Resourcing, West Midlands Employers

Public sector recruitment is facing real challenges, with reports from WMJobs and WMTribe networks showing that nine out of ten councils are struggling to attract and keep talent. At West Midlands Employers, we believe that collaboration is key. By joining forces, we harness our collective advantage, achieving outcomes that far surpass what we could accomplish as individual organisations. 

Our regional job board, WMJobs.co.uk and the ATS provided through our WMTalent Acquisition are two innovative ways in which we not only support the public sector in addressing recruitment hurdles but also deliver substantial financial and efficiency savings. 

Successful campaigns that make an impact 

More recently, there has been a renewed focus on collaborative recruitment campaigns. In January we introduced our ‘jobsters’ which fronted a visually striking, large-scale regional local government career awareness campaign. It targeted those outside the sector, highlighting not only typical council careers but also corporate roles which enable smooth transitions from the private sector. 

The campaign was a success. Highlights include a 30% increase in apply clicks year-on-year, with more than 248,000 new users attracted to the site and our highest number of active users since October 2021. Further underlining this success, over 11,000 new jobseekers signed up for job alerts, and we achieved an impressive 320,000 social media impressions over the campaign period. 

Building on this momentum, our ‘jobsters’ made a comeback during the summer, drawing inspiration from the ‘Summer of Sport’. These campaigns serve a dual purpose: attracting fresh talent to the sector now while also planting seeds for future recruitment, easing staffing challenges and fostering a more diverse workforce. By collaborating closely with councils and fortifying local partnerships, we amplify our impact. Our strategy of developing resources and spearheading campaigns equips all local councils with the tools to tap into our expertise, maximising resources. 

A national initiative for greater reach 

We now have another great opportunity to work in collaboration for maximum impact. We’re thrilled to support the national ‘Make a Difference, Work for your Local Council’ campaign, which launched on Monday 4th November. This initiative aims to inspire individuals to explore career opportunities that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of local residents. Produced through a collaborative effort between the LGA, Solace, Regional Employers’ Organisations, and councils across the country – and funded by the UK Government – the campaign highlights the variety of meaningful and fulfilling opportunities in local government. 

To gather regional insights and shape the campaign, we recently co-hosted a briefing event with the LGA at our offices. As WMJobs is acts as the campaign’s hub in the West Midlands, we will be leveraging the toolkit and assets provided by the LGA to promote the campaign to job seekers and share information with external employability partners, on behalf of our Councils 

As we look to the future, and continue with the theme of collaboration, we are hosting a regional careers fair on Thursday 23rd January at the Library of Birmingham for our WME members and WMJobs subscribers. With 15 public sector organisations already signed up as exhibitors, this event will provide an excellent opportunity for job seekers and partner organisations.  

Embracing our collective advantage 

By joining forces with councils and local partners, and WME’s Leadership and Development team, we increase our impact and create pathways for success in public sector recruitment. Together, we can not only tackle immediate workforce challenges but also build a solid foundation for a diverse and capable workforce in the years ahead. 

If you would like to find out more about our collaborative projects or are a WMJobs subscriber that would like to join us at the career fair in January, please reach out! Together we can make a difference!