Shortage occupation list 2018: call for evidence - our response

Annex A:  Food Services Scotland Response to the Migration Advisory Committee

Evidence of shortages within businesses

MAC Review of the Shortage Occupation List

7. We are interested in hearing from organisations/businesses of all sizes, please tell us the number of individuals your organisation/business currently employ?

☐ 1-9 employees
☐ 10-49 employees
✓ 50-249 employees
☐ 250+ employees

8. Please tell us the name and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code that most closely describes the industry of your organisation/business. If multiple SIC codes apply, please select the one that best describes the largest component of business/organisation (by employment/turnover). An interactive list of all SIC codes can be found below: http://resources.companieshouse.gov.uk/sic/

84130

Job shortages

9. Please list the job titles that your organisation has currently experienced difficulties in recruiting suitable workers for. (Maximum of 10 job titles).

Job title

1 Veterinary Manager
2 Veterinary Auditor
3 Meat Hygiene Inspector

10. Using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Occupation Tool linked below, please help us by matching the job titles you have provided with the closest standardised ONS job title and associated 4-digit occupation (SOC) code. https://onsdigital.github.io/dp-classification-tools/standard-occupational- classification/ONS_SOC_occupation_coding_tool.html

Closest ONS job title

Job title 1
Veterinarian / Health Care Practice
Managers / Managers, Directors
and Senior Officials 

Job title 2
Veterinarian / Health Care Practice
Managers / Managers, Directors
and Senior Officials

Job title 3
Inspectors of standards and
regulations

11. For each job title provided please state the pay per period (annual, monthly, fortnightly, weekly or hourly). If you, for any job title, provide a pay per hour figure please also provide the hours per week you would expect to advertise for a vacancy with this job title.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly pay	Fortnightly pay	Weekly pay	Hourly pay	Hours per week
Veterinary Manager	B3 grade range: 36,328 to 43,923 Data taken from gov.scot.					37
Veterinary Auditor	B3 grade range: 36,328 to 43,923 Data taken from gov.scot.					37
Meat Hygiene Inspector	B1 grade range: 24,580 to 27,515					37

12. What prior relevant work experience is required for each job in shortage?

13.  What is the minimum qualification requirement for someone applying for the job title(s) you have identified as in shortage?

• Veterinary Manager – Degree level qualification or higher
• Veterinary Auditor – Degree level qualification or higher
• Meat Hygiene Inspector – Minimum 3 Higher

14. What do you think are the main reasons for the recruitment difficulties? (Please select all that apply).

15. If known, for a previously advertised job (in shortage), how long did it take to fill that job? (Not to exceed 500 words). 

• Veterinary Manager – 10 months to recruit for the position. The conventional recruitment was unsuccessful and the position was filled via a secondment offer.
• Veterinary Auditor – When the current role required recruitment, the process lasted several months, as the requirements are very close to the Veterinary Manager role there are the same challenges and impacts on the time for recruitment. 
• Meat Hygiene Inspector (MHI) – FSS has an increasing age profile for the MHI position. Previous to 2015, only 2 MHIs were recruited through a recruitment and training exercise that took over a year.  

16. Thinking about question 15 in the last 12 months has the length of time to fill that job changed? (Please select one option).

✓ Increased a lot
☐ Increased a little
☐ Stayed the same
☐ Decreased a little
☐ Decreased a lot
☐ Don't know

17. What is being done to reduce recruitment difficulties? (Please select all that apply.)

☐ Increase wages to attract candidates.
✓ Increase spending/investment on recruitment.
☐ Increase spending/investment on training of existing staff.
✓ Using different methods/channels for advertising vacancies.
☐ Improve conditions such as the inclusion of holiday allowances and bonuses.
☐ The use of different labour pools such as temporary/contract workers, job sharing.
☐ Other: please specify.

18. Thinking about the measures you have taken to reduce recruitment difficulties, can you provide any further information about how these measures have been used? (Not to exceed 500 words).

• Veterinary Manager - The job was opened wider also to secondment opportunities from other government departments. However, this would only cover temporarily the job shortage as there will be further shortages in the departments supplying the secondment. 
• Veterinary Auditor – N/A 
• Meat Hygiene Inspector – FSS has outsourced the MHIs from our Service Delivery Partner (SDP) however, this will become unsustainable as our SDP is experiencing the difficulties sourcing the MHIs.  

19. How long have the above measures been applied? (Not to exceed 500 words). 

• Veterinary Manager -  Temporarily for 12 months
• Veterinary Auditor – N/A 
• Meat Hygiene Inspector – N/A 

20. Have the above measures worked in reducing some of the difficulties in recruiting, if not why? (Not to exceed 500 words).

• Veterinary Manager -  It reduced the current recruitment difficulties but will not address the long term recruitment difficulties – reason explained at point 18. 
• Veterinary Auditor – N/A 
• Meat Hygiene Inspector – N/A 

21. What impacts are these job shortages having on your business/organisation? (Not to exceed 500 words).

This has made it more challenging for FSS to provide the necessary resource to carry out supervision and verification of the delivery of Official Controls (OC) in approved meat establishments. Preparing for technical and policy changes in the delivery of OCs will be affected and may impact on efficient delivery of OC. In summary, shortages in these areas may affect our ability to ensure protection to public health and animal welfare in slaughterhouses. 

22. Are the jobs that you have said are in shortage, open to eligible workers from the Tier 2 points-based visa system?

☐ Yes
✓ No – Due to requirements of Civil Service.

23. If you have answered yes to question 21, has your business/organisation used the Tier 2 points-based visa system to recruit workers from outside of the UK? If so, please state how many employees have been recruited in the past 12 months along with the job titles. (Not to exceed 500 words).

Not applicable

Evidence of shortages within sectors 

MAC Review of the Shortage Occupation List

This form is for anyone providing evidence of current sector/wider recruitment shortages, evidence provided on behalf of members, or from academic institutions, and think tanks. Please use this form to gather evidence for completion of the online form.

Your evidence

1. Please indicate from which of these industries are you providing evidence? (Please select all that apply).

☐ All sector
✓ Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
☐ Mining and Quarrying Activities
✓ Manufacturing
☐ Energy
☐ Water supply, sewerage, waste management
☐ Construction
☐ Wholesale and Retail Trade
☐ Transport
☐ Warehousing
☐ Accommodation and Hospitality
☐ Media and Communications
☐ IT
☐ Financial and Insurance
☐ Professional Services
☐ Administrative and Support Service Activities
☐ Public Administration
☐ Education
☐ Health
☐ Residential and Social Care
☐ Creative Arts and Entertainment
✓ Other (please specify):
    Veterinary Public Health 

2. If you wish, you can provide details of individual jobs titles you/your members have found hard to fill in the boxes below (maximum of 10). Please help us by matching the job titles you have provided with the closest standardised ONS job title and associated 4-digit occupation (SOC) code using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Occupation Tool –https://onsdigital.github.io/dp-classification- tools/standard-occupational-classification/ONS_SOC_occupation_coding_tool.html. There is also space to list the sector(s) where shortages of candidates to fill these job titles has been most acute. If providing this information, please refer to the list in question 24.

Job Title	Closest ONS Job title	Closest ONS occupation code (4 digit)	Sector(s) most affected
1 Official Veterinarian	Veterinarians	2216	Public Health
2 Meat Hygiene inspector	Inspectors of Standards and Regulations	3565	Public Health