Working in The Public Sector... April 2009

Working in The Public Sector... April 2009

With the public sector becoming a more commercially driven workplace in these tougher times, Pure Resourcing Solutions has carried out a survey to 4,000 financial employees asking whether the perceived gap between public and private is becoming.

The continuing economic downturn is affecting every area of the marketplace and the public sector is no exception. With 30% of jobs in this sector being cut across East Anglia*, it is becoming increasingly important for organisations to recruit the highest calibre of people that will make a difference to their bottom line. Employees are finding that this sector is adapting, becoming more commercially aware and results-driven to ensure optimum efficiency. Pure Resourcing Solutions has carried out a survey to gauge the perception of working in the public sector and asks what impact this change has had on the working culture and skill set required for accountants?

The Not for Profit sector offers an incredibly diverse range of working opportunities for accountants and employees in the finance sector. This includes central and local government, health and education authorities, housing associations, arts and heritage organisations. The roles on offer are just as varied. There's been a great deal of change in this sector in recent years – gone is the perceived reputation as an organisation of slow and bureaucratic processes - stake holder influence and media interest can be just as compelling as shareholder pressure, while business planning and financial analysis are just as important in the public sector as they are in the private sector.

Pure, a leading professional recruitment company, sent out a survey across East Anglia to over 4000 financial employees. The results shows that people are acknowledging the attraction of the public sector as a place to work – 60% agreed that the public sector has become more commercially minded in the last 5 years, with 89% of people thinking their skills were transferable between the sectors. The most attractive benefit associated with working for the public sector was job security (43%) with flexible working second, receiving 23% of the votes. When asked if the public sector has become a more attractive proposition since the recession over a third agreed that they were more likely to seek a job in this area, showing in spite of continuing press coverage of job losses and cut backs, the general perception is that is still a more stable working environment than the private sector.

Joseph O'Sullivan, the Manager of the Norwich Office for Pure Resourcing Solutions:
“There has always been a belief that public and private sector organisations are very different. From my experience of recruiting in both sectors, I have found that there is little difference between the type of roles and skill sets needed. What has changed in recent years is the culture of the public sector, with government efficiency targets making it much more commercially focused. Growing recognition of the need to deliver a better service for less has led to a wave of change management programmes. This has created an increase in the demand for high calibre candidates, particularly those with the skills in financial modelling, system upgrade and process review. Employees are finding that this sector is adapting and is now offering the same diversity of roles, challenges and career progression as private companies.”

Andy Radford, Director of Finance, Property and IT for South Norfolk Council says:
“The public sector is evolving, driven by the need to offer customers real choice and value for money, something that has always been a given in the private sector - this will only increase with the continual pressure to reduce the levels of public spend as a result of the economic downturn. This offers incredible opportunities for those migrating from the private sector, with real chances to shape business success and drive positive change - it requires stamina and perseverance in equal measure as resistance to change can be found at all levels - but the intrinsic rewards in terms of job satisfaction, development prospects and exposure to new opportunities should not be underestimated.”

Pure is currently rated as one of the top 5 recruitment suppliers in the region for finance temps to the NHS and are ranked 5th nationally. We also work with many public sector organisations across the region, including education, housing and local authorities and specialise in the understanding of their recruitment processes.

Pure will be running a series of HR seminars over the coming months on recruiting from private to public sector and how to make the transition. Contact the local office for more information.

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