Pressure on education jobs

Released 03/09/2010

Competition for public sector jobs is at an all time high

Competition for jobs in the public sector is at an all time high, with applications rising 15 per cent since the general election in May, according to new figures from Totaljobs.com.

The public sector has seen an average of eight applications per job, further underlining the fierce competition that public sector jobseekers are experiencing.

John Salt, director at Totaljobs.com, said: "Our research shows it's been tough for public sector jobseekers since the Government's budget cuts. However, they need to show added flexibility and resilience as they are now not only competing with those who have lost their job since the election, but also those that were in the market before the budget cuts came into force.

"Luckily, public sector workers possess transferable skills so they will find success in applying to private sector organisations who are experiencing a renewed confidence in the jobs market."

The number of jobs posted by public sector recruiters leveled off in Q2 due to the Whitehall recruitment freeze. As a result, jobseekers in core public sector jobs are experiencing the most competition with 13 applications per job; double that of other public sector industries such as health and education. However, with the supply of jobs decreasing most rapidly in nursing (-22%), education (-14%) in Q2, it seems that further trouble could be in store for public sector jobseekers later in the year.

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