Survey finds public sector job losses highest in local government

Hiring intentions across the public sector have ‘flatlined’, with job losses remaining highest in local government, according to a survey.

Charting responses from 2,100 UK employers, the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey claimed hiring intentions in the public sector remain at 0% for the first three months of 2014.

This latest round of results marks a fall in public sector hiring intentions, which stood at +1% in the last quarter.

Gauging whether employers intend to hire additional staff or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter, the report suggests the national average hiring intention sits at +5%.

Key trends affecting public sector employment include a movement towards a more flexible workforce, higher or more specialist skilled staff and front line roles.

ManpowerGroup sector director government, Nick Heckscher, said: ‘The mood in the public sector going into 2014 is fairly negative.

‘The fiscal situation and the current level of scrutiny and transparency regarding public sector life are making it hard to attract skills from outside the sector, particularly into hard-to-recruit front line areas such as social care.

‘The health sector remains the most buoyant segment of the wider public sector partly due to hiring to cope with seasonal (winter) pressures, and partly because it’s slightly more protected from budget cuts. Conversely, Local Government is the most heavily impacted by budget cuts and consequently continues to see the largest proportion of job losses.’