Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the staff turnover rate in her Department was in the last 12 months; and what recent assessment she has made the potential impact of staff turnover rates on her Department's ability to deliver its services.

Turnover is defined as the rate at which employees leave the department for reasons outside of DWP’s control (i.e. resignations, retirements, transfers, dismissals) and excludes managed exits (all types) and fixed term appointment (FTA) staff who leave at contract end. The DWP turnover rate for the last twelve months (July 2021 to June 2022) is 12.1% for all staff.

The turnover rate has been impacted by numbers of fixed-term and temporary colleagues in the underlying workforce as we have found turnover rates for these colleagues are significantly higher than permanent staff. However, that impact is expected to reduce due to activity to stabilise our workforce.

We have agreed, and continually review, comprehensive workforce plans across the business for the year that take into account a number of factors impacting headcount, including turnover. These plans ensure that future recruitment will maintain our headcount at the required level to meet our Strategic Objectives and continue to deliver our services to a high standard.