Thank you for your request for information about the following:

Request

Under FOIA, please can you share with me the following regarding recruitment costs within your authority. Please provide for the most recent financial year available. Also, please interpret "internal recruitment" to mean vacancies only open to staff already employed within the authority.

1. How many posts were advertised? Please break down by internal and external recruitment.
2. Please can you tell me the cost of recruiting for external candidates only. Please include the cost of personnel, time and advertising. This is from the start of the process, right up to the point the successful candidate started in post.
3. Please can you tell me the cost of recruiting for internal candidates only. Please include the cost of personnel, time and advertising. This is from the start of the process, right up to the point the successful candidate started in post.
4. Annual cost of advertising all vacancies.
5. Annual budget of advertising all vacancies for the current financial year.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 1 July 2025.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Our response

Question one: How many posts were advertised? Please break down by internal and external recruitment.

In 2024-25, 164 internal vacancies (roles advertised to internal colleagues only) and 183 external vacancies (roles advertised to the public, also open to internal colleagues) were advertised.

Question two: Please can you tell me the cost of recruiting for external candidates only. Please include the cost of personnel, time and advertising. This is from the start of the process, right up to the point the successful candidate started in post.

Question three: Please can you tell me the cost of recruiting for internal candidates only. Please include the cost of personnel, time and advertising. This is from the start of the process, right up to the point the successful candidate started in post.

Following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. As the requested information is not currently recorded, responding would involve generating new information. However, under FOI legislation, public authorities are not obliged to produce new data solely to fulfil a request.

Question four: Annual cost of advertising all vacancies

Following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. All of our vacancies are advertised on our website and NHS Jobs which the NHS Business Services Authority runs, maintains and owns. We are therefore unable to provide an annual cost on advertising vacancies.

Question five: Annual budget of advertising all vacancies for the current financial year

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. The NHS Business Services Authority does not have an annual budget for vacancy advertisement.

Data Queries

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.

Reusing the data and copyright

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence3/

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2025”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.