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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1988

HE POINTED OUT THAT DESPITE THE FACT THAT OVERALL WASTAGE IN RECENT YEARS WAS RUNNING AT ONLY ABOUT FOUR PER CENT OF STRENGTH AND RESIGNATIONS ACCOUNT FOR A LITTLE OVER HALF OF THAT, THE GOVERNMENT DID HAVE SOME PROBLEM AREAS.

USING A TEN PER CENT WASTAGE FIGURE AS A RULE OF THUMB, SIR DAVID NOTED THAT THE CIVIL SERVICE'S IDENTIFIABLE PROBLEMS WERE IN SOCIAL WELFARE, MEDICAL AND HEALTH, LEGAL, DATA PROCESSING AND ONE OR TWO OTHER SMALLER GRADES.

"THESE PROBLEMS CLEARLY NEED TO BE PROPOSALS TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THEM AND OTHERS," HE SAID,

TACKLED. WE ALREADY HAVE ARE WORKING HARD ON THE

SIR DAVID SAID ANOTHER POSSIBLE WAY TO GAUGE THE MORALE OF CIVIL SERVICE MIGHT BE TO EXAMINE THE PERCEPTIONS OF THOSE OUTSIDE AND IN PARTICULAR THOSE STARTING A CAREER OR LOOKING FOR A JOB.

THE IT

"THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE IS ONE OF THE KEY AREAS TO WATCH IN THIS RESPECT BECAUSE RECRUITS JOINING IT DO SO NOW IN THE CLEAR KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WILL FORM THE CORE OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT UP TO 1997 AND BEYOND, SIR DAVID SAID.

IN THE VACANCIES, 3,237 HAD

IN 1986 THERE WERE 2,696 APPLICATIONS FOR 26 VACANCIES ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE, IN 1987, 3,443 APPLICANTS FOR 33 IN 1988, 3,155 FOR 27 VACANCIES AND THIS YEAR NO LESS THAN APPLIED FOR THE 30 VACANCIES.

"I FIND THESE FIGURES VERY ENCOURAGING INDEED,

HOWEVER, SIR DAVID RECOGNISED

DIFFICULTIES IN PARTICULAR GRADES.

H HE REMARKED.

THAT THERE WERE RECRUITING

"STUDENT NURSES, AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS FOR EXAMPLE ARE HARD TO COME BY BUT THESE PROBLEMS STEM FROM SUCH FACTORS AS PRESSURES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND IT IS CLEAR THEY DO NOT REFLECT BADLY ON THE MORALE OF THE SERVICE AS A WHOLE.

"IN GENERAL, OUR CIVIL SERVICE SEEMS ΤΟ BE ONE WHICH CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ARE WILLING, INDEED EAGER, TO JOIN.

"THIS WOULD SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT, FAR FROM BEING AN ORGANISATION WITH NO SPARK AND NO FUTURE, IT IS SEEN AS A GOING CONCERN WITH PLENTY TO OFFER, SIR DAVID SAID.

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