We are a public sector organisation and have a vacancy we need to fill. We consider it best practice to seek candidates externally as well as internally but we can’t afford to advertise externally – the cutbacks are hitting us hard. Are we OK to just offer a promotion or transfer opportunity internally without infringing any equality laws?

There are some civil service and public service jobs that have always been advertised externally as well as internally, such as entry level positions to the civil service (among others). However, it is not the case that all public sector jobs must be advertised externally, so reference must be had to the policies which apply to the body that you work for before being able to determine what recruitment processes must be followed.

Also be aware that in some cases, where funding for a project is provided from other bodies, they may have requirements in relation to recruitment which must be followed and you should be cognisant of these if relevant.

In general, it is acceptable for internal only