Skip to main content

Recruitment Advertising

Volume 454: debated on Tuesday 5 December 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years. (107740)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent the following on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years:

£

December 2003-November 2004

319,545

December 2004-November 2005

589,911

December 2005-November 2006

537,594

Costs refer to the actual media spend, net of VAT, incurred by the FCO, of all recruitment advertising for generalist and specialist positions in the FCO and FCO services.

FCO overseas missions and Non-Departmental Public Bodies also incur advertising costs when advertising for specific posts. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The FCO is committed to reaching as wide a range of potential applicants as possible. In 2006, we spent a significant amount on general advertising to encourage candidates from a diverse background to consider the FCO as a potential employer.

In 2004, the FCO reduced the number of positions to be filled and as a result only one large-scale recruitment campaign was completed. The number of vacancies rose in 2005 and 2006 and four large-scale recruitment campaigns were undertaken resulting in higher associated advertising costs.