Almost 70 civil service job vacancies remain unfilled

CLOSE to 70 civil service jobs remained unfilled in West Tyrone at the end of November last year, the Finance Minister has revealed.

In response to an Assembly question from SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan, Conor Murphy confirmed there were 69 civil service vacancies in West Tyrone and a further 186 in neighbouring Foyle at the end of November.

Mr McCrossan said he was “surprised” to learn about the local vacancies.

He said, “This is an area that has suffered from decades of neglect and a lack of investment centrally. We have some of the highest levels of unemployment anywhere on these islands and when decent jobs like this become available I would expect them to be filled fairly quickly.

“I would urge anyone locally who hasn’t yet done so to consider a career in the civil service. Given the aging workforce and the struggle to recruit a new generation of civil service staff this presents a great opportunity for people to get a foothold within the civil service, with the potential for a long and satisfying career, fair pay and the chance for progression.”

The SDLP MLA added, “I would also call on the civil service to ensure that when job opportunities like this come up they are properly advertised and people are able to quickly and easily navigate the application process.”