DUMFRIES and Galloway Council has managed to maintain a steady workforce despite extremely difficult economic times, council chiefs confirmed this week.
The local authority increased its overall headcount to 6475, and recorded 7682 positions in 2021-22 – both of which were a slight increase on the previous year.
Ultimately, there are fewer full-time posts these days, but the council has a larger overall headcount and has reshaped how services are delivered.
A council spokeswoman said: “Expectations of public services are still high and having a skilled workforce to deliver these remains essential.
“Whilst the nature of public services and how they are provided has changed significantly in recent years, due largely to covid response and recovery, what remains an essential focus for councils across Scotland is workforce planning; this being the process that the council uses to make sure we have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.
“Our council is very much aware of the pressure public sector finances will be under for the foreseeable future and, as a result, this council has managed to keep the overall headcount in a static position.”
Female employees make up most of the council’s workforce (74.7%) and occupy a higher percentage of part-time positions, according to the most recent workforce report.
Full time workers represent 50.9 per cent of the workforce, while the remaining 49.1 per cent is part time.
