Likely upturn in public sector job market, recruitment survey finds

10 Mar 14
Public sector employers expect an improvement in the jobs outlook over the next three months, with more expecting to hire staff than are anticipating shedding posts, a survey has found.

By Richard Johnstone | 11 March 2014

Public sector employers expect an improvement in the jobs outlook over the next three months, with more expecting to hire staff than are anticipating shedding posts, a survey has found.

Recruitment agency Manpower’s Employment Outlook found a net hiring intention of +2% in the public sector for the second quarter of 2014, meaning a greater proportion of the 264 employers questioned expect an increase in staff numbers. This is compared to a net employment score of zero in the same survey for the first three months of 2014, which indicated that no net contraction or expansion was anticipated.

However, hiring intentions in the public sector remain behind the overall economy, as Manpower’s overall poll of 2,112 employers found a net employment outlook of +6%.

Nick Heckscher, Manpower’s director for the government sector, stated that public sector recruitment was outperforming public perception, given spending constraints.

‘People might have anticipated a dip in [hiring intentions in] quarter two 2014 to coincide with the start of the new fiscal year in the sector, but, so far, we haven’t seen this materialise.

‘What we have seen is much higher demand for interim, short-term and flexible roles, which might reflect some nervousness about medium-term hiring intentions.’

Despite the overall improvement in hiring intentions, Heckscher said the number of back office workers was continuing to contract, with the increase in employment coming in public service posts.

‘The parts of government that are most visible to the public remain those with the greatest demand for staff,’ he added.

‘However, these roles are not always easy to fill as, while private sector recovery increases, the public sector’s ability to attract these skills is proving increasingly difficult.’

 

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