The States Employment Board (SEB) has welcomed the publication of the Annual Report of the Jersey Appointments Commission (JAC) for 2020. The JAC is an independent body that oversees the recruitment of senior Government employees and appointees to arms-length organisations, its aim is to make sure selection is fair, efficient, and conducted in accordance with best practice and procedures.
The report commends the work the government in how it has improved the oversight of placing interims and the clarification of these roles, this work has resulted in more open competition.
Progress is recongised in addressing concerns previously raised by the JAC about attracting more woman candidates to senior positions is also recongised, citing the appointments to the Prison Governor and the first female Superintendent within the States of Jersey Police.
The Vice Chair of the States Employment Board, Connétable Richard Buchanan, said:
“I am pleased that the Commission has recognised the progress we have made especially in light of the challenges created by COVID. The pandemic has changed the way the recruitment was carried out across the world and the Government has responded quickly by embracing technology and new ways of working.
“We are grateful that the Commission has recongised that many of their previous recommendations have been addressed by this SEB and we continue to make public service appointments fairer and more transparent.
“As a Board, we are committed to equal opportunities and fair reward for all our employees and we will continue to champion diversity in appointments and appointing to all roles on merit.
“The Commission’s report acknowledges a more ‘evenly matched’ distribution of appointments at the upper tier level, the resourcing team continue to work at providing more detailed analysis in this area.
“We are thankful for the work of the Commission, and particularly to the Chair, Dame Janet Paraskeva, who enters her final year in post.”
The report is available to read online.
Government of Jersey News Release.