Headlines: July 8th, 2010

People looking for work in the public sector would rather make sacrifices on pay than on pension rights according to the results of a new survey. Of the 5,000 jobseekers questioned almost a quarter from the public sector said they would be willing to compromise on salary to secure a job but only four per cent were prepared to be flexible on pensions.

The findings have been produced by Totaljobs.com which says its research shows staff in the public sector are opposed to Government policy to raise the retirement age and restrict their pension rights. With Nick Clegg describing public sector pensions as “unfair and unaffordable”, the company says it comes as little surprise that workers in the sector are unwilling to sacrifice a comfortable retirement in return for higher pay over the short term.

John Salt, Website Director at the recruitment website said jobseekers were willing to take a temporary cut in pay for future financial security and this was particularly true in the public sector. “During the worst of the recession, we were seeing those made redundant from the private sector look to the public sector as the place to go for job and financial security. But as the new government begins sharpening the axe we can see the beginnings of fear and inflexibility in the public sector over pension rights in particular,” he said.