Posted on: 14/03/2025

Thought Leadership

Local authorities across the UK are under immense pressure to deliver high-quality public services while reducing costs. They must find ways to do more with less. Transforming processes, streamlining structures, and embracing digital self-service models are all necessary steps to improving efficiency and maintaining service standards.

Transformation requires the right skills in the right place at the right time. But many local authorities face significant workforce challenges – skills shortages, an ageing workforce and private sector competition private sector – while attracting, retaining and growing talent make it extremely challenging to adapt and thrive.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and devolution brings benefits, including greater efficiency, stronger local leadership, and streamlined operations, but adds layers of complexity, requiring a rethink of organisational structures and delivery models.

The need to be “agility-ready”

It is inevitable that the future will be one of constant change. Local authorities will need to be “agility-ready,” ready to shape-shift, adapt and respond as the landscape changes.

As we move forward with LGR and devolution, there is a need for a rethink of organisational structures, delivery models, and a drive towards digital transformation.

A shift from traditional, rigid structures to a more agile organisational model is required – one that allows local authorities to continuously adapt and respond to challenges. There is also a need to use data more effectively to inform and prioritise transformation, track progress and deliver organisational insights that help to enable change.

A data and skills-driven approach for agility

Skills-based organisations move away from traditional operating models and look at organisational structures in terms of skills, unlocking capacity and maximising productivity.

Research from Deloitte shows that organisations with a skills-based approach are 107% more likely to place talent effectively, and 57% more likely to anticipate change and to respond effectively.

The ability to have visibility and enable the redistribution of work and skills across jobs and service areas is critical to building organisational and workforce flexibility. Skills-led organisational design allows for a more flexible resourcing model that can support a truly agile delivery approach.

A key pillar of this transformation is breaking organisational structures and jobs down into data on work and skills and looking at traditional job roles in terms of individual tasks and activities, highlighting the specific skills needed for each.

Mapping work and skills distribution gives a clearer view to support redeployment and develop pathways into priority areas. This reduces admin and helps organisations become more agile as they respond to the changing landscape and unforeseen circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

By 2035, 70% of jobs won’t exist

At RoleMapper, we predict that by 2035, 70% of the jobs in local government will either not exist in their current form or will be significantly different.

We predict a world where instead of hiring for predefined roles, Local Authorities will recruit based on skills, allowing employees to be allocated across service areas. Rigid career ladders will give way to greater agility, with employees moving fluidly between projects and departments to where skills are needed.

This shift will enable Local Authorities to become more agile, close skills gaps, boost productivity, and optimise service delivery while providing employees with more diverse career pathways and development opportunities.

Time to act now

However, back to the here and now – current working practices—the way organisational structures, work, jobs, and skills are designed and managed—hinder agility and the ability to make transformational progress.

Emerging technologies require rapidly evolving skills. Without visibility into employees’ skillsets, local authorities may overlook internal talent that could fill skill gaps or lead strategic projects. They risk becoming stagnant and unable to adapt to industry shifts.

To navigate oncoming changes and to become agility-ready requires a fundamental change in organisational structures, processes and how work gets done. Local Authorities need to truly harness the power of their work data and adopt a skills-based approach.

Since 2018, 11 local authorities have declared bankruptcy. The challenges facing local government are significant, but not insurmountable. Innovative developments in technology and AI can help fast-track this transformation. Local authorities that embrace a data-driven, skills-first approach will be in a strong position to adapt and thrive.

By Sara Hill – Founder & CEO, RoleMapper

We are always keen on your views, please email our team at info@wmemployers.org.uk with any suggestions or feedback.