THE head of the civil service believes the private sector provides a clear and attractive option for the recruitment of skilled personnel for top-level posts with the service.

The Civil Service Performance Verification Group is set to approve a 2% pay rise for 35,000 civil servants under the Sustaining Progress agreement.

The second round of benchmarking payments are due to go ahead from January 1 after the Civil Service Performance Verification Group (CSPVG) approved all increases under its remit.

PUBLIC servants face a 10-week deadline to prove hey have made improvements to work practices sufficient to warrant payment of the next round of benchmarking awards.

Action plans submitted by the various civil service departments and offices are to be published by the Civil Service Performance Verification Group.