Department of Community Services – Implementation of Hiring Pool

During the past few months, staff of the Department of Community Services, Public Service Commission and the Union have been discussing possible ways to speed the hiring process, particularly in certain positions where it is difficult to hire or retain staff.

The parties have recently agreed to implement the concept of a hiring pool within the Department for Social Workers, Case Workers and Care Coordinators.

The pool will be used to advertise position vacancies in specific or multiple geographic locations for a four-month period.

Postings will be carried out simultaneously for Expression of Interest, Internal Applicants and External Applicants. As is the case presently within the requirements of the Collective Agreement, selection and appointment of possible candidates MUST be carried out in the following sequence:

• Expression of Interest from within the same classification first, followed by internal applicants second and then only by external candidates if there are no qualified members in the hiring pool.

It is hoped that the process will prove to substantially reduce the requirements for filling the above noted positions where there has been difficulty filling in the recent past.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the NSGEU at 424-4063 or 1-877-556-7438.