Local authorities see 9% rise year-on-year in use of locum lawyers: report
The use by local authorities of locum lawyers rose 9% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2012, research has revealed.
This compares to an overall increase in temporary labour usage of 1.6%, according to Comensura, which analysed data from 88 of its clients in England and Wales.
The research revealed that the average hourly pay for locum lawyers between January and March 2013 was £27.46, up from £26.46 the previous year.
Broken down by region, the average hourly pay for a locum lawyer was:
- East Midlands: £25.11
- East of England: £29.63
- London: £25.57
- North East: £26.42
- North West: £28.15
- South East: £27.32
- South West: £32.92
- Wales: £26.79
- West Midlands: £23.66
- Yorkshire and the Humber: £29.37
Jamie Horton, Managing Director at Comensura, said: “As we predicted, usage of temporary labour has bounced back in the first quarter of 2013.
“Local authorities have risen to the challenges posed by deep budget cuts and have responded by adding greater flexibility into their workforce. This is important given the on-going and uncertain outlook for permanent staffing in local authorities as well as the rise in shared or outsourced service offerings.”