Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Rejected
Department plans to fix F-35 personnel recruitment and retention, but full recovery takes time
Conclusion
The Department told us that it has plans in place to fix its recruitment and retention problems. The Department also told us that it has increased its recruitment of engineers significantly in the last two years. It has offered joining bonuses for certain professions and has increased the capacity of its technical training skills to enable more recruits to be trained more quickly. 33 C&AG’s report, paras 2.3-2.4 34 C&AG’s report, paras 2.6-2.7 35 Q 101 36 Qq 101-102 11 To improve retention the Department offered a financial retention incentive for engineers, although this did not cover all supervisor grades where there have been especially acute shortages. The rate at which staff are leaving the armed forces, which was extremely high in 2022, has now stabilised at or below historic norms. However, the Department acknowledges that it takes time to adequately replace those experienced staff.37 Accommodation
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to produce a plan specifically focused on the F-35 workforce, and will instead address recruitment and retention challenges through the ongoing RAF People Campaign. They also outlined a range of measures already introduced to address immediate pressures, particularly for some specialist areas, including financial retention incentives and increased opportunities for Extensions of Service.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
3.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 3.2 The government agrees with the requirement to address the known recruitment and retention challenges through a holistic approach but disagrees with the recommendation to produce a plan specifically focused on the F-35 workforce. Instead, the department will address this recommendation through the ongoing RAF People Campaign that sets out challenging targets for the RAF to achieve workforce balance. 3.3 The Armed Forces continue to expect challenges recruiting for key skills where there is strong competition in the labour market including cyber, digital, healthcare & medical and engineering. Retention remains a key priority and an evidence-based approach, drawing on survey data, feedback, and wider engagement to understand the issues affecting personnel continues to be taken. A range of targeted measures have already been introduced to address immediate pressures, particularly for some specialist areas where there are workforce capability gaps. These include financial retention incentives, increased opportunities for Extensions of Service, broadened eligibility for Standard Learning Credits, and an uplift to disturbance expenses for personnel returning to the UK or moving between overseas locations. 3.4 RAF Recruitment & Selection have driven through no less than 130 adjustments to recruitment policy already, introducing education reform, fitness reform and most recently health reform to the recruitment approach, these initiatives have ensured that the RAF has seen more individuals enter Formal Training than at any time over the last 15 years.