Personnel Recruitment and Retention Strategies in Lagos State Civil Service of Nigeria

Abstract

Lagos State Civil Service (LSCS) exists to implement policies of government. To realize this goal, personnel are needed, which are products of personnel recruitment and retention strategies (PR & RSs) of the civil service (CS). This study empirically examined personnel recruitment and retention strategies in LSCS. To achieve the objectives of the study, questionnaires were administered and structured interview carried out with civil servants. The study adopted the chi-square analytical technique to analyze the variables. The results show that the strategy for personnel recruitment into the CS is based on mixtures of merit and political considerations. In the area of personnel retention, the study found that the CS put in place relatively good incentives to retain its employees. These retention strategies are however not adequate to retain competent personnel compared to what is
provided by private organizations to retain their workforce. The study
suggested the need for the CS to put in place appropriate incentives in line with what is obtainable in private organizations if it must retain competent workforce for enhanced performance.

Keywords: Lagos State Civil Service, Personnel Recruitment, Retention,
Performance