Attempts to recruit staff hampered by housing shortfall

Efforts to attract new members of staff to the council in key sectors are being hampered by a shortfall in housing.

Members of the education and families and development committees were told an accommodation shortfall was holding back attempts to attracting new workers.

The education meeting heard there had been problems recruiting to certain secondary school subjects such as home economics and technical subjects.

Agency staff have also had to be taken on to fill gaps in posts relating to youth justice.

The issue was also highlighted in development.

• See Friday’s Shetland Times for full story.

COMMENTS(9)

Add Your Comment
  • Alistair Tulloch

    • August 27th, 2018 17:53

    In last weeks Shetland Times, there are 16 houses available for rent with Hjaltland Housing. There are many more private houses for rent or for sale. There are council houses empty in country districts.
    Shetlands population is at best static, so where exactly is the shortage- I have never seen anyone sleeping rough in Shetland through lack of a suitable house??

    REPLY
  • Johan Adamson

    • August 28th, 2018 10:48

    It has been reported recently that young families are leaving Shetland and also that there are empty private lets, especially in the likes of Brae. So you would think there should be a lot of spare capacity in the private rental area. So how can accommodation be the problem when we were able to house all of the Total etc workers fairly recently and they have gone?

    REPLY
    • Christopher Johnston

      • August 28th, 2018 16:47

      Don’t confuse Councillors with inconvenient facts.
      I suspect that Council has an unspoken, long term goal of concentrating population closer to Lerwick, where they can more easily and inexpensively manage it.

      REPLY
    • Mike Grant

      • August 30th, 2018 16:49

      I wonder if it’s because everyone wants to live in Lerwick or (if they must) Scalloway?

      REPLY
  • Shuard Manson

    • August 29th, 2018 22:39

    Could we not train Shetlanders who live here already to do these jobs. If they were given the opportunity.

    REPLY
    • Christopher Johnston

      • September 1st, 2018 14:06

      No, these jobs require experts. An expert is a well-dressed person who has flown in, is carrying a laptop, is wearing a pinky ring, and doesn’t understand Shetland dialect.😇

      REPLY
  • Haydn Gear

    • September 2nd, 2018 12:37

    Christopher. Why did you omit to say someone who owns a few properties in sunny climes , drives expensive cars with personalised number plates , gets by on shares given by grateful customers , drinks with gusto at cocktail parties and speaks with an affected southern English whine derived from spending too long in public school circles? What’s more such types are ignorant of the fact that a Shetland dialect exists and would dismiss it as being irrelevant if told about it.

    REPLY
    • Christopher Johnston

      • September 3rd, 2018 15:59

      @ Haydn Gear
      Because I am not as experienced in these matters as you are.

      REPLY
  • Haydn Gear

    • September 4th, 2018 15:57

    But you more than make up for your deficiencies with an overblown sense of fun and humour. So, all’s well Christopher old chap !!

    REPLY

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