Defra is over-reliant on contractors because it struggles to recruit and retain the people with the digital skills it needs. Defra says it has reduced its reliance on contractors and temporary staff over the last year from 30% to 22%, but this is still too high. CDDO tells us that using some contingent labour is good for flexibility but that it can be up to twice as expensive for some roles. In June 2022, CDDO committed to reducing vacancies in the digital community across government departme...

Defra is over-reliant on contractors because it struggles to recruit and retain the people with the digital skills it needs. Defra says it has reduced its reliance on contractors and temporary staff over the last year from 30% to 22%, but this is still too high. CDDO tells us that using some contingent labour is good for flexibility but that it can be up to twice as expensive for some roles. In June 2022, CDDO committed to reducing vacancies in the digital community across government departments to less than 10% by 2025. Between October 2021 and October 2022, Defra ran recruitment campaigns for 244 digital, data and technology roles but could Type: conclusion | Number: 5 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The government’s commitment to build digital skills at scale and reducing reliance on contingent labour, is set out in the 2025 Roadmap for Digital and Data. Across government, CDDO i