Internal candidates for top Civil Service jobs are still being paid less than the advertised rate, a leading official has warned.
First Civil Service commissioner Janet Paraskeva – who oversees Whitehall recruitment processes – said she was concerned that some candidates were being paid “significantly under” the advertised rate. The four most extreme examples were existing civil servants.
The most striking was a payment of 40% less than the advertised rate of £140,000, she said. The successful candidate had been doing the job on a temporary promotion at the time it was advertised, but had been working at a much lower rate in an acting capacity.
Paraskeva said she could see no justification for paying the successful candidate significantly less than the amount stated in the job ad.
Despite representations, the department concerned refused to pay the successful applicant any more.
Writing in the Civil Service Commissioners Annual Report, Paraskeva said: “We are concerned to note that there is some evidence to suggest that successful female civil servants are disproportionately more likely to be paid under the advertised rate than their male colleagues.
“That is something we shall monitor and report on next year.”
Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the FDA – the union for senior public servants – expressed concern about the situation.
“It is an issue we have been raising for some time and it causes considerable resentment for the individuals concerned, and more generally across the senior Civil Service,” he said.
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Incidences of salary payments higher than the advertised rate to private sector candidates had fallen, Baume added, while external candidates accounted for 40% of new appointments to senior roles.
“While there will always be a need for some degree of external entry to more senior posts, it is important to get the balance right,” Baume added.
