4 January 2011
New jobs in the public sector hit a record low last month, at less than half the level recorded in December 2009, latest figures show. But demand for qualified accountants continues to rise.
The Reed Job Index for December, published today, revealed that job opportunities in the public sector dropped to a new index low of 42. This is a fall of 7 index points from November, and follows a year of monthly job vacancy falls in the sector.
The report compiles jobs data from across the economy and benchmarks vacancies against a baseline of 100, set in December 2009 when the index began.
The public sector figures were in contrast to the overall employment trend. Job opportunities across the economy rose by 4% on the previous year due to a surge in demand from private sector employers.
Martin Warnes, managing director of reed.co.uk, told Public Finance the figures for the public sector came as no surprise.
‘Cuts have been accompanied by recruitment freezes across central and local government, and many predict even worse job prospects for the sector in 2011,’ he said.
But he added that qualified public sector accountants were likely to be the exception, with their expertise remaining in demand.
‘Certainly in the economy as a whole, new job opportunities for pre-qualified and fully-qualified accountants have risen over 10% since this time last year, as financial expertise proves essential in these challenging times,’ Warnes said.
