Public sector candidates lodged complaints over discrimination and difficulties in job application process

The public appointments service Publicjobs said they had received eight formal complaints from people unhappy about how a job competition was managed last year, with all eight of those investigated and later dismissed.

The service said there were a further 12 customer feedback issues, mostly around difficulties in applying for jobs or misleading information about advertised posts.

There were two other complaints managed by Publicjobs, with one person saying they wanted a formal review of a decision that found their Irish was not good enough for a job. Their complaint was investigated but the decision to exclude them was unchanged.

Another wrote of “unfair and inequitable treatment” during the recruitment process, but they were also unsuccessful in their appeal and the matter was dismissed.

Eight higher-level, or so-called Section 8, complaints were made to Publicjobs with one person unhappy they “did not meet eligibility requirements for age” feeling this was discriminatory.

Another was unsatisfied they didn’t make a shortlist and said the decision was “unfair and a breach of a fundamental right”. In one case in November, a candidate on a panel was removed from consideration for a post “due to [the] amount of sick leave recorded” on their file.

Other complaints were received from individuals who were unsuccessful following an interview or missed out on a shortlist. However, all eight of the Section 8 complaints were dismissed following investigation by Publicjobs.

All complaints were fully investigated and either dismissed or managed accordingly

There were issues, too, with the sometimes laborious process of uploading material to the public jobs application website, with one person saying they could not manage to attach more than one document.

Another claimed it made no sense that the online verification process could only be done using a PC or laptop, and that it was not possible with a phone, notebook, or tablet.

Other complaints received by Publicjobs included one about conflicting information over an application for An Garda Síochána and another about an “inadequate and misleading job description” for an advertised role.

Publicjobs received one complaint from a person who felt it was unfair to make them fill in a health questionnaire for review by the chief medical officer before being considered for a post.​

A spokeswoman for Publicjobs said they had managed more than 65,000 job applications last year with 54,000 assessments and nearly 18,500 interviews having taken place.

“All complaints were fully investigated and either dismissed or managed accordingly. Complaints are dismissed based on the investigation finding no evidence of a breach of the [public service appointments] code of practice or the respective guidelines,” she said.

“Publicjobs is committed to ensuring recruitment to the civil and public service is underpinned by best practice at all stages of the recruitment, assessment, and selection process.”