Background
There are more than 6 million public sector workers in the UK, with total staff costs reported to be £241 billion across the whole of government in 2023-24. Workforce planning is crucial to government because so much of its activity depends on people, from delivery of public services and major infrastructure projects to policy formulation and implementation. When done well, workforce planning ensures government organisations have the right level of staff for their needs, with the necessary skills and capabilities, at an affordable cost.
Past NAO reports have, however, highlighted weaknesses in government’s long-term workforce planning for many years. Common issues include:
- poor understanding and modelling of future workforce needs
- incomplete workforce data
- limited insight into skills gaps
- a tendency for short-term, reactive planning rather than long-term workforce strategies.
There have recently been some positive developments in government workforce planning, such as the requirement for departments to develop strategic workforce plans as part of the Spending Review process, as well as progress on building workforce planning skills and capability.
In September 2025, the NAO published its audit framework on government workforce planning, which sets out expectations for good workforce planning in government.
Scope
This study will draw on insights and lessons from the NAO’s body of recent work on workforce planning in government. It will identify common challenges for government departments and organisations in undertaking workforce planning, focusing on:
- the importance of long-term, strategic workforce planning to senior leaders – including how workforce planning contributes to government’s ability to create more productive and resilient workforces and public services, and to improving financial management
- practical insights to support organisations that are taking workforce planning more seriously and seeking examples of good and innovative practice to learn from
- helping build government’s capability to conduct better long-term workforce planning and modelling, alongside our already-published government workforce planning audit framework
NAO team
Director: Kate Caulkin
Audit Manager: Pauline Ngan