The Tasmanian health union says jobs are becoming “impossible to fill”.

Tasmanian hospitals are dealing with higher demand and constraints on recruitment.

The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) says pathology and pharmacy staff have raised concerns about recruitment processes stalling, and that senior health staff are reporting hold-ups in advertising positions and approving new employees.

The HACSU says it has received an email from the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) clarifying what happened to a $105 million in top-up funding from the State Government in November.

The email allegedly says the revised budget allocation was based on the average full-time positions for the first half of the 2018-19 financial year, leaving most areas of the THS capped.

This has left departments trying to fix staffing numbers that they cannot exceed.

“An exception to this has been where full funding had been allocated for a new budget initiative and recruitment had not been finalised,” the email stated.

The THA reportedly said all areas of the service can ask for a review of their budget allocation, and will hold discussions regarding initial feedback “in the coming months”.

HACSU's Tim Jacobson said there appears to be a vacancy control process across the health service.

“It means it is more difficult and, in some cases, impossible to get positions filled,” he said.

“The new staffing levels that have been established are based on mid-last-year's figures, when we know the demand over the last six to eight months has increased significantly in this time.”