Guernsey spent £5.1 million on relocation packages in 2025
- The States of Guernsey spent £5.1 million on relocation packages in 2025, up from £4.76 million in 2024
- 381 employees received Additional Relocation Allowance in 2025, with Health & Social Care accounting for 241 recipients
- Education, Sport & Culture supported 86 employees, whilst Home Affairs provided assistance to 34 workers
- The allowance provides assistance towards private rental costs for up to four years and is subject to normal tax and social security deductions
- An operational review of the Relocation Directive is underway to assess whether it remains fit for purpose and represents value for money
The States spent £5.1 million on relocation packages for public sector workers in 2025, with healthcare staff accounting for the largest share of recipients.
The figure was disclosed in response to two Freedom of Information requests asking about relocation costs over the past two years. In 2024, expenditure totalled £4.76 million, or £4.97 million when adjusted to 2025 values for comparison.
The expenditure covers both new arrivals and ongoing support for employees who relocated in previous years. The figures include multiple forms of assistance provided under the States of Guernsey Relocation Directive, including relocation allowances, additional relocation allowances, mortgage support allowances, and other specified assistance.
In 2025, 381 employees received Additional Relocation Allowance, the most common and largest component of relocation support. This allowance provides assistance towards private rental costs and may be payable for up to four years where eligibility criteria continue to be met. The allowance is subject to tax and social security deductions at normal rates.
Health & Social Care accounted for 241 of the recipients, representing 63 per cent of the total. Education, Sport & Culture supported 86 employees, whilst Home Affairs provided assistance to 34 workers. The remaining 20 recipients were spread across other business areas.
The Policy & Resources Committee, which provided the response, explained that Guernsey's limited labour market means the island cannot source all specialist skills, qualifications, and workforce capacity required for certain critical and frontline public services from the local population alone.
The Relocation Directive applies to successful applicants who are ordinarily resident outside the Bailiwick at the time of appointment, including Guernsey residents returning to the island. Eligible roles are those requiring a Long-Term Employment Permit under the Population Management regime, where Home Affairs and the Population Management Office consider there is evidence that the necessary skills, qualifications, or workforce capacity are not available in sufficient numbers locally.
In a public service context, this predominantly applies to frontline services such as health, social care, education, and law enforcement.
The response noted that without the capability to recruit suitably qualified candidates from off-island, the States would face significant recruitment challenges, resulting in greater reliance on temporary or agency workers, increased staffing costs, and potential impacts on the effective delivery of public services.
An operational review of the Relocation Directive is currently underway. Given the ongoing need to recruit employees from outside the island to fill roles where sufficient local workforce capacity is not available, the review is considering whether the Directive remains fit for purpose, represents value for money, and continues to support the operational needs of the public service.
One of the FOI requests referenced a figure suggesting Jersey spent £800,000 on relocation packages last year. The response stated that this comparison does not constitute a request for recorded information held by the States of Guernsey and therefore falls outside the Code.
However, the response added that publicly available information indicates Jersey has more staff accommodation, meaning a direct comparison of relocation expenditure between the two jurisdictions is unlikely to compare like with like.
The total expenditure figures include support provided to employees who relocated during the relevant year and ongoing payments to employees who relocated in previous years. Employees can access different forms of support under the Directive according to their circumstances and eligibility.
A breakdown by committee area is not readily available for other forms of assistance under the Directive beyond Additional Relocation Allowance. The response noted that because employees may receive more than one type of support, a combined headcount would risk double-counting and would not accurately reflect the total number of employees supported.
The Relocation Directive provides a consistent framework for relocation support and sets out eligibility criteria for various measures designed to assist public sector workers moving to Guernsey for employment.
Q&A
Q: What is the Additional Relocation Allowance?
A: The Additional Relocation Allowance is the largest component of relocation support, providing assistance towards private rental costs. It may be payable for up to four years where eligibility criteria continue to be met and is subject to tax and social security deductions at normal rates.
Q: Why does Guernsey need to recruit public sector workers from off-island?
A: Guernsey's limited labour market means the island cannot source all specialist skills, qualifications, and workforce capacity required for certain critical and frontline public services from the local population alone. This predominantly applies to services such as health, social care, education, and law enforcement.
Q: Which committee has the most employees receiving relocation support?
A: The Committee for Health & Social Care has the most recipients, with 241 employees receiving Additional Relocation Allowance in 2025, representing 63 per cent of the total 381 recipients.
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