A “SIGNIFICANT” number of females compared to men work for Gwynedd Council and a striking number of those are in part-time roles, figures show.
Some 71.2 percent of the workforce – 4,269 – are women, with 1,726 men, making up 28.8 percent.
Women are strongly represented in education, schools, social care, health and well-being roles, whilst a higher numbers of males work in engineering and highways jobs.
Cyngor Gwynedd’s workforce is also getting older, and fewer people have reported stress although rises in other sickness absence has raised “concerns”.
The figures were reported within an employment profile which provided a “general overview” of the workforce.
The report was approved during a meeting Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet on Tuesday, October 10.
A table described full-time and part-time employees, for the last three years. The data included staff who worked in schools, but not staff employed on a casual basis during holiday/sickness periods of the permanent workforce.
On March 31, 2023 a council report recorded 3,306 full time and 2,689 part time employees, a total of 5,995. By gender, in the same time frame, there were 1,462 men and 1,844 women working full time. Part-time there were 264 men and 2,425 women.
By comparison, in March 31, 2021, there were 3,073 full time and 2,776 part time employees, making a total of 5,849 compared to 2022, when there were 3,258 full-time and 2,650 part-time, a total of 5,908.
In 2021, 4,199 women represented 71.8 percent of the workforce, whilst the 1,650 men, made up 28.2 percent. On March 31, 2022, with 4,194 women and 1,714 men, women made up 70.1 percent of the workforce, whilst men accounted for 29.0 percent.
By department, in 2023, some 91 percent of women worked in education (central) 88.6 in adults, health and well being, and 87.4 in family and children support.
The highest numbers of men worked in highways engineering and YGC; 87.6 percent, north and mid Wales trunk road agency; 76.8, and environment;73 percent.
Staff turnover rates for 2022/23 showed in 2020/21 it was 6.8 percent, compared to 2021/22 when it was 8.5 percent and 2022/23, at 8.1 percent, “lower than other sectors of the economy”.
During 2020/21 (the first year of the pandemic), there was a reduction in the number of people who left the council’s employment.
Recent variations existed within departments, showing the lowest turnover rate in corporate support (6.1%), highways, engineering and YGC (6.3%) and housing and property (6.6%).
The highest were in economy and community (28.7%), leadership team and legal services (11.6%), adults, health, and well-being (11.2%) and the environment (6.6%).
On sickness, there was a slight increase again, in the number of days lost with 10.22 days per head during 2022/23.
But it was “in keeping with the general direction of an increase in rates over a number of years.”
Back in 2019/20 it was 9.78 days, in 2020/21; 6.35 and in 2021/22,; 10.07.
The report noted “concerns” that sickness absences were on the increase within the council.”
But only three other authorities in Wales had lower rate during 2022/23; Anglesey, Denbighshire and Pembrokeshire.
“Vast differences in the make-up of workforces across authorities in Wales,” were also noted.
“Not every authority directly employs staff working in refuse collection and care, both areas which historically has found it challenging to manage sickness absence, very often for understandable reasons,” the report said.
In terms of short-term and long-term sickness (where long-term is defined as twenty-eight continuous days of sickness) the figures showed in 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23, respectively, there was a drop in long-term sick at 62% 71% 57% 53% and but a rise in short-term 38% 29% 43% 47%.
The top three highest number of days lost per head within individual departments, were in adult health and well-being at 17.04, environment 11.93, and highways and engineering at 10.17.
Some 38.4% of staff members did not report that they had been sick at all during 2022/23.
On “a positive note” there was a further reduction in stress although another categories noted as “other” sickness, where the illness was not noted, remained “a concern.”
The figures also showed that 65% of staff were aged over 40, whilst 40% were aged over 50.
The report stated: “The fact that the number of staff leaving the council is consistent, we cannot avoid the risk that in the future we will lose skills and experience.”
The council planned to address the issue with “continuous efforts to invest and recruit apprentices and profession trainees” and through work programmes “seeking to change and modernise” council recruitment arrangements.
