Sydney Council Job Listing Sparks Backlash Over Internal Hiring Practices In Public Sector

An Australian recruiter has slammed a job listing posted by Sydney's Ryde City Council for primarily focusing on candidates with previous experience in the government sector.

In a TikTok video, Tammie Ballis -- who previously worked as a government recruiter before starting her own business -- talked about coming across a job listing for a standard customer service officer at Ryde City Council in Sydney, which, she said, highlighted a hiring issue within the public sector.

However, the listing mentioned that applicants should have previous experience in local or state government or an understanding of council services. According to Ballis, this requirement suggested that the council preferred to hire people who had already worked in government, News AU reported.

"I have got a doozy of a job ad and you government workers keep proving me right," she said in her TikTok video. "What they are saying is, we only hire our own. They should have just said 'Must have previous government experience.'"

"I know why you want your own, you don't want someone from the private sector with all of their new ideas to come in and change things. You wouldn't want someone with a good work ethic to make you all look bad, isn't that right?"

Hiring practices

Ballis' video quickly received many comments, with people from both the government and private sectors sharing their opinions. Some commenters mentioned that private employees may not fully understand how the government sector operates.

They explained that hiring people with previous government experience helped because they were already familiar with the system and its limitations. Others added that training was often easier for candidates who have worked in similar roles before.

City of Ryde defends hiring process

The job advertisement was for a full-time customer service position at the City of Ryde. The role offered a yearly salary between AU$67,737 and AU$85,910, depending on the candidate's experience and qualifications.

The City of Ryde was questioned regarding this issue and it stated that its hiring process was based on merit, focusing on evaluating candidates based on their skills, experience, and qualifications.

A spokesperson clarified that if any job advertisements gave the impression that local government experience was a requirement, that was not the intention. The council said it encouraged applications from people with transferable skills, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to community values.

The City of Ryde spokesperson said the council has considered the feedback received on social media and will continue improving its hiring approach. However, he pointed out that the claim that the City of Ryde only hired internal candidates was incorrect.

Out of the last 30 customer service positions filled, only two employees had previous experience in local or state government. Most of the successful candidates came from the retail and private sectors, he added.