By Lucy Phillips
13 May 2011
Misconceptions about the public and private sectors are putting the job prospects of redundant public sector employees at risk, a report has warned.
Some 330,000 public sector workers are expected to lose their jobs over the next four years as a result of the government’s austerity measures and attempt to control the country’s deficit. But their chances of finding work quickly in the private sector are limited by negative perceptions held in both sectors, says the study, carried out by the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry and recruitment consultancy Hays.
Many public sector employees see the private sector as a ‘back-stabbing’ or a ‘dog-eat-dog world’ where people are ‘in it for the money’, the report found. Meanwhile, those in the private sector see their peers in the public sector as ‘institutionalised’, used to ‘an easy life’ and ‘in it for the benefits’.
The report The challenges of transition: from public to private is based on the views of 1,435 public sector employees and 348 private sector employers. The authors are calling on the government to do more to support the smooth transition of workers from the public to the private sector.
Hays director Mark Staniland said: ‘As the government cuts begin to take effect, there is a growing pressure on the private sector to create new jobs. There is no doubt that public sector employees have many skills in need right across the private sector. However, it is unreasonable to believe that transferring a large proportion of the workforce will not need specialist help to progress smoothly. The government must act now and put provisions in place to support the workers, and both sectors need to work together to make sure the skills available are used to their full advantage.’
Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the LCCI, added: ‘There are some common misconceptions that the private and public sectors share about each other, but we are confident with the right support and the right attitude from both employers and employees, any perceived differences can be overcome to the benefit of all concerned.’
