By Vivienne Russell | 1 May 2013
The public sector is a vastly more popular option for jobseekers than the private sector, despite the government’s cuts, according to a poll published today.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of 2,700 job-seeking people surveyed by the totlaljobs.com website said they would prefer to work in a public sector organisation. In contrast, only 25% of respondents said they favoured the private sector.
Reasons for preferring the public sector included the prospect of better career development, cited by 59% of survey respondents, and the chance to give something back to society, cited by 54%.
More than half of those polled (56%) said they would recommend a job in the public sector to graduates.
There was also a perception among just over half of respondents that cuts to pay and pensions would deter candidates from joining the public sector. Fifty seven per cent believed that spending cuts had made public services worse.
Commenting on the findings, Mike Booker, director of public sector at totaljobs, said: ‘Positions in the public sector remain very appealing to jobseekers who see opportunities for career progression. With more public sector cuts anticipated and high demand for the positions available, competition will be fierce.’
