Public Finance reports that public sector job prospects have fallen following a period of buoyancy, according to Manpower’s employment outlook survey.
Its latest findings, relating to the public job prospects fourth quarter of this year, showed a net employment outlook of -5 per cent. This means that a larger proposition of employers are expecting to cut staff numbers than take on new workers, and is the sector’s first shift into negative territory after six quarters of job creation. Nationally, the survey recorded an overall employment outlook of +6 per cent, down from +8 per cent in Q3. This suggested that the job market was beginning to cool, following ‘unprecedented growth’ this year.
Commenting on the findings, Nick Heckscher, Manpower’s group sector director for government, said: “Hiring intentions in the public sector overall are down, as the local authority workforce continues to contract and parts of the sector start to shift towards a commissioning-style model, with less direct employment.”
