Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsEmployment lawRedundancy

Public sector job cuts could hit 578,000 by 2012

by Kat Baker 17 Jun 2009
by Kat Baker 17 Jun 2009

The number of public sector job cuts could reach as many as 578,000 by 2012 – nearly 60% more than the CIPD’s prediction of 350,000 by 2014-15 – and will inevitably hit the HR function.

Yesterday, the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) forecast that the public sector would have to make 350,000 job cuts by 2014-15 – just over 6% of the 5.8 million workforce – to cope with increasingly restricted public spending.

But Gillian Hibberd, president of the Public Sector People Manager’s Association and HR director at Buckinghamshire County Council, told Personnel Today that local governments were already looking to reduce headcount by 10% by 2012.

A 10% reduction in local government jobs would see the loss of 290,400 jobs. If applied to the wider public sector, it would mean 578,300 jobs were axed in total.

Hibberd said the loss of more than half-a-million public sector roles in just three years time “would not surprise me at all”.

The jobs cull in local government would inevitably hit HR, she added, but it could actually help the function become more strategic.

“[The cuts] are a chance to really influence the future of our organisations, and we shouldn’t be afraid of it.”

“There will be more development towards strategic functions and the development of strong specialisms like organisational and leadership design. Reward and performance management will also become more important,” she added.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union refused to be drawn on whether the cuts in central government would reach 10%.

But Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said he was concerned jobs could be cut arbitrarily.

He told Personnel Today: “With public finances as they are, we fear we will enter the next election and there will be grandstanding on who can cut the most jobs.”

The Conservatives admitted last week if they were to win the next general election they would look to cut public spending by more 10% across most central government departments.

However, Hibberd refuted the CIPD’s claim that the job cuts would lead to a wave of industrial action within the public sector.

She said: “I don’t believe that. We have got to have a sensible conversation with unions and employer representatives, where we sit down with them now and explain the situation we are facing.”

Avatar
Kat Baker

previous post
Whitehall bonuses under threat as total hits £26m
next post
HR profession: A new HR for a new workforce

You may also like

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Policeman dubbed ‘Dolly Parton’ for working Nine to...

20 May 2022

Adapt culture to hybrid work: do not force...

20 May 2022

Women in FTSE 350 leadership: ‘A lot of...

20 May 2022

City firms pledge to improve social mobility in...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

City workers desert offices in favour of hybrid...

20 May 2022

Working from home statistics show three-fold increase

20 May 2022

Statutory sick pay reforms would save £4bn

19 May 2022
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+