ClickAJob News

Recruitment is slowing in the private sector as the public sector is now becoming more attractive to jobseekers, it has been claimed.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the private sector is now having difficulty gaining access to finance, meaning it can no longer offer the bonuses and number of vacancies that previously made it attractive.

However, because the public sector is funded by the government, it has benefitted from the increased borrowing announced in the pre-budget report and is now paying higher.

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser from the CIPD, said that "above all there are more opportunities and there is no doubt that public sector employment has gone up in the most recent quarter".

The autumn 2008 Labour Market Outlook report by the CIPD recently revealed that 34 per cent of organisations surveyed say they are going to maintain staff levels over the next three months.

A spokesperson for ClickAJob cautions that while grabbing the first job that comes along might secure immediate income, it does not necessarily help career advancement.

"Certainly all experience is useful, but does it serve those long term career goals so vital to making a name for yourself in your chosen field?" he questions.

"There is also the pitfall of bad habits – especially as so many government services are notoriously lax in remembering customer needs," he points out.

"Whatever you do, don't fall victim to the to the public sector mind-set that when all else fails you should lower your standards," he warns.

"To be sure of success, beware the stop-gap job and don't let yourself settle for anything less than best," he advises.