So Has Anyone In The Public Sector Actually Lost Their Job Yet?

[pilchardthecat]

Not that i take any pleasure in it at an individual level, but have any of the spending cuts actually happened yet?

Is spending going down now?

I haven't seen any evidence of it. Did some recruitment recently, quite a few cvs from people laid off from the private sector, none from the public sector.

[Pent Up]

Mrs Pent Up is being made redundant from her NHS admin job. Probably be early next year. Her departments is being outsourced. In other departments of her office everyone has to reapply for their jobs bit there will be fewer positions so some will go.

[Timak]

Lots of jobs are going, but through "natural wastage".

I contract at several public sector bodies and head count is definately going down.

However it seems to be the people with 38 years service and a nice final salary scheme who are going and their job disappears with them meaning one more unemployed person is kept on the dole.

I know of one council who had a 550 headcount in 2003 who now only have 380 without having outsouced anything.

[Neverland]

Not that i take any pleasure in it at an individual level, but have any of the spending cuts actually happened yet?

Is spending going down now?

I haven't seen any evidence of it. Did some recruitment recently, quite a few cvs from people laid off from the private sector, none from the public sector.

Some friends of acquaintances:

Special needs teachers, quango employees, etc.

Its building up a nice head of steam and don't think it won't affect the price sector: Rok and Connaught won't be the last private sector companies to go bust off the back of this

"Not that i take any pleasure in it at an individual level"

But many here do...

[pilchardthecat]

Does anyone have the monthly govt spending figures? Are we spending less now?

[jammo]

Lots of jobs are going, but through "natural wastage".

I contract at several public sector bodies and head count is definately going down.

However it seems to be the people with 38 years service and a nice final salary scheme who are going and their job disappears with them meaning one more unemployed person is kept on the dole.

I know of one council who had a 550 headcount in 2003 who now only have 380 without having outsouced anything.

How is it that this council can operate with nearly a third of it's workforce gone?! What services did they cut? It wasn't the Council of Mortgage Lenders was it?

[Neverland]

How is it that this council can operate with nearly a third of it's workforce gone?! What services did they cut? It wasn't the Council of Mortgage Lenders was it?

Most white collar businesses can lose a quarter of their workforces without losing much basic capacity

c.10-20% of the people employed in a boom are useless/lazy/in the wrong job

You just get the rest to work harder and cut down on look-busy work to make the rest up

After you cut a third of the staff you start to lose capabilities in IMHO

I'd guess the same is probably true of the public sector

[Timak]

How is it that this council can operate with nearly a third of it's workforce gone?! What services did they cut? It wasn't the Council of Mortgage Lenders was it?

Automated a lot of things thanks to the last governments long term investment strategy

[DeepLurker]

Most white collar businesses can lose a quarter of their workforces without losing much basic capacity

c.10-20% of the people employed in a boom are useless/lazy/in the wrong job

You just get the rest to work harder and cut down on look-busy work to make the rest up

After you cut a third of the staff you start to lose capabilities in IMHO

I'd guess the same is probably true of the public sector

Top tip: always carry a folder/notepad with you and walk with a firm step. Other people will assume that you are either on the way to/on the way back from a meeting.

[jammo]

Most white collar businesses can lose a quarter of their workforces without losing much basic capacity

c.10-20% of the people employed in a boom are useless/lazy/in the wrong job

You just get the rest to work harder and cut down on look-busy work to make the rest up

After you cut a third of the staff you start to lose capabilities in IMHO

I'd guess the same is probably true of the public sector

I suppose so. There was a lazy chap at our place for a few months, just seemed to spend all day buying pointless gadgets online. Everyone knew he did no work, it was obvious very quickly. I can't understand why these types would be kept on, this chap wasn't. It does actually irritate the other workers to see someone sit there browsing the internet all day whilst they have to pick up the slack. but I always see it as like benefit cheats, one day someone will come along and stop the piss take, and ultimately my hard work will pay off as I rise through the ranks.

If in this case it's 1/3 of the workforce I would be quite concerned. Actually, it would be interesting to see the full organisation structure of this council - every job listed in turn. Because to be honest, how do we know they can't just drop another third without problem?

[pilchardthecat]

Top tip: always carry a folder/notepad with you and walk with a firm step. Other people will assume that you are either on the way to/on the way back from a meeting.

I used to work with someone (hi Mike!) who was a great believer in this. He spent more time going to and from meetings than actually attending them.

These people always used to have those flasy leather holders for their note pads. They can now be identified readily by the presence of an iPad.

[Lambie]

Not that i take any pleasure in it at an individual level, but have any of the spending cuts actually happened yet?

Is spending going down now?

I haven't seen any evidence of it. Did some recruitment recently, quite a few cvs from people laid off from the private sector, none from the public sector.

A snapshot from Education..

In April 2010 the Learning and Skills Council (3500 jobs) split into Skills Funding Agency (adults, 2000 jobs) Young People's Learning Agency (children, 500 jobs) and Local Authorities (1000 jobs, mostly in Childrens Services)

SFA have gone through severe restructuring and a programme of voluntary severance (now lost around 500 jobs from a start point of around 2000 i believe) with another round of VS likely. The Chief Exec has said he expected the SFA to have half the staff again in 2 years.

If recent Education White Paper becomes law, YPLA will now morph into the Education Funding Agency under direct Dept of Education control and will likely actually expand a bit in terms of jobs as it takes on the administration of Academy schools (these are being ramped up in next 2 years). But most of these will be transferred in directly from the department or some of the other axed quangos. (You can't ever really kill a quango, you can only cut off a head, that will regrow).

Local Authorities I think will start to make actual reductions in the new year, many people who transferred from the LSC into Local Authorities are on redundency notice, and Childrens Services / Connexions generally are under a lot of pressure to reduce, currently by accelerating natural wastage but again I think real reductions will start in they new year. They are waiting on Jolly Santa Eric Pickles to give them their final funding settlement for 2011/12 financial year before commencing the brutal slaying.

[dissident junk]

We've seen wasteage and voluntary redundancy already. However, all the reviews come in next July, and then jobs will be lost.

Same goes for other public sector workers I know. Everything comes to pass next year. Mr DJ's department is being entirely shut down and the permanent workers transferred to another office; all fixed terms and temp jobs will go.

[SarahBell]

Our council have been saying they've got to sack hundreds of people for about 2 years now...

Have yet to see evidence of any council services getting worse...

(Someone is moaning about bin collections and saying during the snow the bin men should have been given shovels)

I think they are doubling up heads of dept at son's school.

Why they have so many sub heads, heads, etc I don't know. Oh I do, it's called the gravy train.

Edited December 9, 2010 by SarahBell

[tomwatkins]

I used to work with someone (hi Mike!) who was a great believer in this. He spent more time going to and from meetings than actually attending them.

These people always used to have those flasy leather holders for their note pads. They can now be identified readily by the presence of an iPad.

Always remember the George Castanza motto "keep sighing". People assume you are overworked.

[Neverland]

I suppose so. There was a lazy chap at our place for a few months, just seemed to spend all day buying pointless gadgets online. Everyone knew he did no work, it was obvious very quickly. I can't understand why these types would be kept on, this chap wasn't. It does actually irritate the other workers to see someone sit there browsing the internet all day whilst they have to pick up the slack. but I always see it as like benefit cheats, one day someone will come along and stop the piss take, and ultimately my hard work will pay off as I rise through the ranks.

If in this case it's 1/3 of the workforce I would be quite concerned. Actually, it would be interesting to see the full organisation structure of this council - every job listed in turn. Because to be honest, how do we know they can't just drop another third without problem?

I don't know why you are singling out the public sector :angry:

Inefficiency is equally prevalent in NGOs and the private sector - go take a look in a shop

As soon as you stop paying piece work rates and start employing people to "add value", "deliver a service" or, worse "think" it becomes difficult to distinguish between productivity and idleness

(PS. I don't and never have worked in the public sector or been paid for piece work )

[Tired of Waiting]

I don't know why you are singling out the public sector :angry:

(...)

Because we are tax-payers.

If a private sector company offers me a bad product for a high price I can choose not to buy from them.

It is completely different.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Tired of Waiting

[Neverland]

Because we are tax-payers.

If a private sector company offers me a bad product for a high price I can choose not to buy from them.

It is completely different.

Not so

Your electricity comes from the national grid

The companies your pension is invested in are audited by four accountancy firms

You will borrow from a small cartel of banks

Most of the oil that fills your petrol tank comes from OPEC

All businesses strive to create monopolies, oligopolies and cartels, so they can be as inefficent as they like and rip you off

Etc.

[Mrs Bear]

Not that i take any pleasure in it at an individual level, but have any of the spending cuts actually happened yet?

Is spending going down now?

I haven't seen any evidence of it. Did some recruitment recently, quite a few cvs from people laid off from the private sector, none from the public sector.

I know of two, one p/t (NHS) in Devon, one p/t (libraries) in London.

Both just told their jobs are going.

[Milton]

Inefficiency is equally prevalent in NGOs and the private sector - go take a look in a shop

Was'nt something like 80% of our GDP in the business services sector?

The Bus2Bus sector have always looked down on the Public and Retail sectors. They just do not understand how tough a 'real target/profit driven enviroment' can be.

And I have to say, rightly so in my own experience......[sorry!]

As a general rule BUS2BUS will be a lot less likely to offer interviews to people from those sectors. They just have not cultivated the right work ethic. Especially non-profit organisations. Like every council job in the country.

[For instance an engineer/other/ who has taken on a professional BDM/Sales role. Where you HAVE to hit £x amount per month. Or you are out on your A-r-5-e. Period. ]

Edited December 9, 2010 by Dan1

[IP Newcomer]

Most white collar businesses can lose a quarter of their workforces without losing much basic capacity

c.10-20% of the people employed in a boom are useless/lazy/in the wrong job

You just get the rest to work harder and cut down on look-busy work to make the rest up

After you cut a third of the staff you start to lose capabilities in IMHO

I'd guess the same is probably true of the public sector

Probably greater in the public sector.

Private business can also cut down on long term items to get them through the short term. For example marketing or quality insurance will still mean that the same money is coming in for a year or so, but less money going out. Catch up when the worst is over by rehiring.

[jaynewcastle]

HMRC have been criticised by MP's recently for shedding staff far too quickly, down from 106000 to about 67000 in just 4 years.

Wonder why there is a 3 month backlog of post & its hard to get through on the phone ?. Still its what some people want, until they're actually affected by this & then they start moaning .

[FreeTrader]

The June budget forecast that general government employment would fall by roughly 490,000 between 2010/11 and 2014/15.

The OBR November forecast cut this to a loss of 330,000 jobs over the same period.

[Jester]

Connexions will be cutting back a number of jobs and services in the new year. They were given 90 days notice almost 90 days ago. Very sad.

[Tired of Waiting]

Lots of jobs are going, but through "natural wastage".

(...)

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