350k 'could lose government jobs'

16/06/2009

Civil servants, NHS staff and other government workers are facing mass redundancies over the years to come.

A report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests that as many as 350,000 public sector workers could lose their jobs over the next five years, the BBC reports.

The dire state of the government's finances in the financial downturn is a major factor behind the likely cutbacks.

Around £175 billion of debt is set to be built up on the public balance sheet this year alone.

Cutting back on government spending - such as public sector workers' wages - is seen as essential by some analysts if the deficits are to be limited over time.

John Philpott, chief economist at the CIPD, commented: "The public sector has yet to feel the full impact of the recession, and the resultant bloodbath in the public finances.

"The CIPD's current estimate is that the fiscal squeeze implied by government plans will result in a total of 350,000 job cuts in the public sector overall between 2010/11 and 2014/15."

Unemployment has risen over recent months, with the vast majority of the job losses coming from the private sector.

The jobless total currently stands at just over seven per cent of the UK workforce.

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