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Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee |
2 June 2025 |
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Report of the Chief Officer – HR and Support Services
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Workforce Profile as at Quarter 4 2024/25
Summary
1. This report provides the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee (SMUC) with the workforce profile, covering the period of 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, for fair comparison some figures are for a rolling 12 month period, where this is the case it will be stated.
Background
2. The data provided in this report is already available throughout the Council to both employees and managers. The workforce data provided through the performance framework, is discussed with Corporate Management Team, Directorate Management Teams and Trade Unions.
Analysis
3. Annex 1 gives a full overview of key performance indicators directly linked to the Council’s workforce.
4. Headcount, FTE, new starters, resignations and leavers rates at the Q4 position in 2023/24 and Q4 2024/25 are as follows;
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Q4 2023/24 |
Q4 2024/25 |
Trend |
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Headcount |
2597 |
2694 |
Increase |
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FTE |
2212 |
2335 |
Increase |
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Average Days Sickness |
11.2 days |
12.1 days |
Increase |
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New Starters |
376 |
426* |
Increase |
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Leavers |
327 |
319* |
Decrease |
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Resignations |
63% |
56% |
Decrease |
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Retirements |
25% |
24% |
Decrease |
*Figures for 2024/25 Q4 New Starters & Leavers are a rolling 12 month figure
5. Resignations and retirement as reasons for leaving are both lower at Q4 2024/25 compared to year-end 2023/24.
The rolling 12 month figure for new starters continues to be higher than leavers at Q4 2024/25 compared to 2023/24; these figures includes where agency staff have become employees in some services (place, children’s and adults).
6. Overall Work with York (WWY) assignments have continued to be used, and will continue to be used. Assignment numbers are currently fluctuating to meet demands across the council directorates, finance directorate includes cleaning staff and transport and environment placements include project officers and operational waste staff.
7. There are more starters than leavers as a result of the move to advertising more temporary contracts as direct employment opportunities rather than via agency placements. Employee turnover is down overall from 13% 2023/24 to 12% 2024/25.
8. The Council is continuing to restructure and there are further workforce changes both planned in in consultation. In some instances agency is being used as a temporary measure to support vacancies ahead of restructuring and mitigate change.
9. Table 1.11 and 1.12 in Annex 1 shows analysis of resignations by age and grades; trends are largely comparable between 2023/24 and 2024/25. However, at grades 7-11 there were fewer leavers in the 16-24 age group, and significantly more leavers in the 50-64 age group. More detailed information is not available on reasons for leaving other than information shown in table 1.6; the Council does not collect where an employee is moving to, for example to another local authority, private sector, to take up university / further education to spend time with dependents etc.
10. The age band of 50 to 64 is the highest workforce age band of the Council’s workforce. The average age of the workforce has reduced slightly over the years (now 47 years old), and the 50 to 64 age band makes up 44% of the Council’s workforce, slightly higher than the percentage of Yorkshire and Humber (43%) and England from the Census data (41%).
11. Cost control measures continue to challenge spend, when a post becomes vacant, some remain unfilled or alterative options are considered including acting up arrangements for existing members of staff. HR are working with relevant managers to ensure creative recruitment for hard to fill vacancies that need to be filled. Wellbeing is at the heart of all considerations, it is repeatedly reinforced that employees are not expected to work excessive hours to cover unfilled vacant roles, and decisions around priorities and ways of working have to be considered creatively.
12. Sickness absence figures are similar to previous years, with significant reduction in Adult Social Care and Governance directorates, offset by smaller increases elsewhere. The Council does have several employees who are on long term sickness with terminal illness, for these employees we explore ill health retirement options but employee absence continues to be part of the absence figures, this may in some cases distort absence figures in some directorates.
13. We continue to benchmark absence with neighbouring and regional councils and City of York Council are experiencing the same trends as other Councils.
14. In terms of equalities profiling, the workforce gender and age distribution remain largely comparable year on year. Similarly, the declaration of sexual orientation and disability remains largely the same, as is the figures for employees declaring Black Asian and Racially Minoritised Community (BARMC) and disability.
15. We continue to promote and request that employees update their sensitive information (for example disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation) status to allow us to have a closer comparison with our local community.
16. On reporting the council’s gender pay gap in March 2024, which is mandatory, the council also voluntarily reported ethnicity pay gap for the first time. This year a similar calculation has also been undertaken for disability with the same caveat as ethnicity in that the calculation can only be based on the data that we hold. Hopefully promotion and awareness can encourage future completion and a greater representative calculation.
All the pay gap reports can be found on Open Data: Genderreport, and Ethnicity and Disability reports.
Consultation
17. The contents of the report and Annex have not been consulted on as the data is factual and already available through different sources.
Council Plan
18. The content of the report and annex are not material to the Council Plan but are valuable information to contribute to relevant workforce data evidence and the profile of the workforce has been included in the Council Plan 2023-2027.
Implications and risks
19. There are no implications or risks associated with this report.
Risk Management
Recommendations
20. Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee is asked to:
i. Note the workforce profile provided in Annex 1.
Reason: In order to provide an overview of the workforce profile.
Contact Details
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Author: |
Chief Officer Responsible for the report: |
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Anna Vinuesa HR Advisor
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Helen Whiting, Chief Officer - HR and Support Services
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Report Approved |
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Date |
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Yes |
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20 May 2025 |
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Specialist Implications Officer(s): |
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Wards Affected: List wards or tick box to indicate all |
All |
X |
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For further information please contact the author of the report |
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Background Papers:
Previous Workforce Profile Reports;
Full Year 2023/2024 (20th May 2024)
https://democracy.york.gov.uk/documents/s176499/Workforce%20Profile%20Report%20SMUC%20May%202024.pdf
Annexes
Annex 1 – Workforce Profile report 2024/2025 to Quarter 4