# Voluntary sector recruitment difficulties 'declining'

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2003/11/24/voluntary-sector-recruitment-difficulties-039declining039/
- Published: 2003-11-24T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Remuneration Economics’ 15th Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey (AVSS) reports
that fewer organisations are experiencing staff recruitment problems.
The survey
by the salary survey publishing company reports that the percentage of respondent
organisations that said they had experienced staff recruitment problems has decreased
from 65.9% last year to 59.5%.

 

 

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The survey also reports that salaries have increased by an average rate of 6.1%.
This is a return to the rate of increase in salaries recorded in 2001, after a drop
to 4.7% last year.

 

 

However, despite average pay increases of 6.1%, twice the level of the sector’s 
average

 

general pay award of 3.1%, voluntary

 

organisations’ staff retention problems have worsened: over half of the sector has
experienced these, up from 41% in 2002 to 55% in 2003. The main reason given for
not being able to hold onto staff is a perceived lack of career progress.

 

 

Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO, said: “A perceived lack of career prospects
continues to undermine staff retention. In a difficult economic climate

 

voluntary organisations must consider how they can offer the kind of personal and
career development opportunities that will enable them to hold on to staff.”

 

 

Jennie Saunders from Remuneration Economics said: ‘This year we have seen organisations
prepared to award very substantial increases in salary on an individual basis, far
in excess of the general pay award implemented across the organisation as a whole.
This seems to be driven by the need to retain key personnel at a time when recruiting
staff with the necessary skills is increasingly

 

problematic.”

 

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