It is rather more complicated than that (as is to be expected these days!) and is due in part to the increasing requirement to make savings. The relatively recent surge in RAF recruitment has been quite successful (I am not based at IofR but live in the 1960s fun palace across the road) and we are currently experiencing that surge in Phase II training. However, it has been decided that pretty well everything is "on the table" savings-wise and recruiting targets, having been successfully met, can now be reduced (stop-go, stop-go etc). The recession has also had an effect on retaining personnel who might otherwise leave but such things are not always that easy to measure. I understand that this situation regarding recruiting is only temporary but, given the rumours that abound in the public sector regarding savage cuts etc, I am sure other Ppruners can provide a more accurate answer. Retention isn't an issue with me personally as I start my resettlement at the end of November.
