Private sector businesses 'not prepared' to hire public sector workers

Private sector businesses 'not prepared' to hire public sector workers

22% of small to medium business enterprises (SMEs) intend to hire new staff but just 2% of them would actively seek to recruit public sector workers.

Almost a quarter of small businesses would hire a public sector worker if there was no one else for the job.

One in ten would not hire a public sector worker whatsoever.

It's bad news for the public sector, which has already experienced a series of pay freezes and redundancies as part of the government's spending cuts.

Redundancy in the public sector is expected to increase in 2011, with impending cuts on the NHS, councils and the military.

The survey, conducted by uSwitch, reveals a widely spread perception that public sector industry has developed over-indulged staff with unrealistic expectations of the work place.

Tellingly, 55% of SME owners believe public sector workers to be unrealistic in their expectations about pay, holidays and employment terms, and only 11% of those questioned considered public sector workers to be as productive as their private sector counterparts.

SME owners also perceive public sector workers to be incompatible with their businesses - just 6% think that a public sector worker would fit in well with their company, a worrying indicator of the level of hostility public sector workers may find when they are looking for employment.

Despite this, an overwhelming 72% of SME owners expect their business to grow or at least retain its size.

The government may need to rethink their employment strategies in light of the research, says James Constant, Director of uSwitchforbusiness.com: "The government is pinning its hopes on the private sector being ready, willing and able to offer employment to redundant public sector workers.

"What it hasn't grasped is that employers view public and private sector candidates very differently.

"Small businesses need workers that can fit in quickly, hit the ground running and add value to the bottom line - what this research shows is that there are grave doubts as to whether public sector workers can meet this demanding brief."

Despite their optimistic outlook, small businesses still need to keep their eye on their finances, he warns: "Trading conditions are tough and business owners have to ensure their business is as agile and competitive as possible.

"Whether looking to expand or not, all businesses can benefit from looking at their overheads and ensuring that they are not paying more than they need to for the basics such as energy, telephone and broadband and insurance.

"It's easy to take your eyes off these but paying more than competitors can have just as big an impact on your business as employing the wrong or right worker."

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