The report, looking into the use of agency workers in the public sector, found agency staff tended to be highly experienced, while better work-life balance and escaping stress and office politics through flexible working hours rather than the chance of earning more money were cited as the main reasons to seek agency work.

With regards to healthcare agency workers, the report found NHS Trust managers acknowledged agency staff skills were on a par with permanent NHS staff, but raised concerns about continuity of service rather than skill level of agency worker. NHS leaders conceded a fundamental rethink of traditional ideas about working patterns in hospitals to accommodate staff’s desire for more part-time opportunities and flexibility is needed. The report also highlighted that internal NHS banks suffer from a poor reputation in relation to their payment procedures and shift allocations.

Meanwhile, when it came to agency workers in education, head teachers acknowledged the advantages of the speed and ease of bringing in agency supply teachers via agencies and the knowledge and access to candidates agencies have that schools don’t. However, unlike NHS managers, school leaders have less understanding about agencies’ fee structures, the vetting of candidates that agencies undertake or the justification for transfer or ‘finders fees’.

Commenting on the report’s findings, co-author and National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) researcher Nathan Hudson-Sharp, said current rules around agency spending in the NHS seem to only address the symptoms of the problem.

“What they fail to do is tackle the underlining issue of demand continuing to outstrip supply. The future of agency working in the NHS would therefore seem to rest on implementing an approach that is much more comprehensive, and that would enable NHS employers to address underlining issues around staff shortages, training, workforce planning, recruitment and retention.”

Recruitment & Employment Confederations (REC) CEO Kevin Green added whenever the organisation speaks to agency nurses and supply teachers they report they have made a positive choice about agency work as they want the freedom and flexibility to work where and when they choose.

“Being a nurse or a teacher is a hugely demanding job which comes with all sorts of pressures so it’s no surprise that some experienced professionals want to achieve a better work-life balance. For too long employers in the public sector have ignored this desire for flexibility when they should instead use it to develop ways to retain their talent and attract more people into these jobs to alleviate skills shortages.”

The report was commissioned by the government’s Office for Manpower Economics, with research carried out by the NIESR in partnership with the REC.