01 December 2011

Public sector workforce ‘to fall by 850,000’


Laura Sharman

The public sector workforce could fall by 15% compared to when the Government took office as the full extent of austerity measures take hold, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Projections by the CIPD warn that the Government’s full fiscal austerity measures will see around 850,000 jobs cut by 2017.

John Philpott picture Dr John Philpott: Office for Budget Responsibility figures exclude losses since election.

Although the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projected that general government employment would fall by 710,000 between the first quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2017, CIPD chief economic adviser Dr John Philpott said this doesn’t include figures since the general election.

‘While the latest OBR projection better reflects what public sector employers expect to happen to public sector jobs in the coming years, the estimated cut of 710,000 excludes the effect of austerity measures introduced in 2010-11, particularly the freeze in public sector recruitment announced immediately after the 2010 general election,’ Dr Philpott said.

‘According to the Office for National Statistics the level of general government employment fell by almost 140,000 in that period. Assuming the OBR projection proves correct, the total cull of public sector jobs by 2017 will thus be 850,000, almost 15% of the public sector workforce at the start of 2010.’

Dr Philpott added that while the 1990s also saw a similar reduction in jobs, the labour market was being boosted by a rising economy. ‘There is less prospect of a similarly benign outcome in today’s far more straightened times.’





Your comments

Oh yes it is . . They are the greedy group striking over their personal pensions and leaving the paying customer in the lurch. We will be behind India and China soon with the public sector taking us there . . All blow and no service

J Smith, Added: Monday, 5 December 2011 10:53 PM

'Hackneyed' - possibly. Untrue - certainly not. Public sector workers are being made to carry the can for the excesses of (admittedly a small part of) the private sector and all J. Smith can say is "China and India's observations of our welfare state are spot on"? I take it that's where he would like Britain to be, figuratively if not physically, a third world country. Blame where blame's due (Mr?) Smith - and it's not to be laid at the door of public sector workers.

Fat cat, West Midlands, Added: Monday, 5 December 2011 04:02 PM

Frankly Mr Hambly your comments are hackneyed & more suitable for the Morning Star. The only reason the public sector exists is because hard pressed Taxpayers are regularly pickpocketed. These taxpayers pay the public sectors wages, bonuses, tax & pensions. They also fund these despicable cards where wasteful purchasing corruption continues. If the Eurozone fails can we afford the public sector? How much would be missed. China and India's observations of our welfare state are spot on

J Smith, Added: Monday, 5 December 2011 02:34 PM

Mr Dewar your comments are become tiresome, should you not be on the Daily Mail site? I take it you are very happy to rip up my contract of employment and round my pension down to the miserable one enjoyed in the private sector. Talking about crazy 1. bankers bonus schemes. 2. 49% increases for bosses with no relationship to profits. Frankly the private sector terms are rubbish because they don't have unions and they have greedy employers who don't want to contribute to their employees pensions

David Hambly, Added: Monday, 5 December 2011 11:42 AM

To be honest, the main problem with the public sector is the crazy pension deals (currently costing ?35 billion a year a rising rapidly) and the "permitted" sick days per year. Put a line through the unsustainable pensions and impose statutory sick pay scheme and there would be no need to lose jobs. Note, no one is asking for anything different to what the private sector have to endure so what is the problem?

Michael Dewar, Added: Thursday, 1 December 2011 10:03 PM

If the Eurozone fails this will be just the start . .

J Smith, Added: Thursday, 1 December 2011 02:50 PM



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