Public sector pay and jobs rise

[dipsydoodle]

Economists were taken by surprise by better than expected job figures, with the number of people receiving unemployment benefits actually falling. One of the reasons was the continued jobs being created in the public sector, with 31,000 more people working for central government over the last three months. The number of jobs in the public sector has increased by 0.4 per cent, compared with an increase of 0.1 per cent in the private sector.

Both the NHS and Jobcentre Plus have been hiring more people, even though Alistair Darling in his Pre-Budget Report of earlier this month admitted cuts would have to be made to the public sector.

Pay increases in the public sector have also been far higher than in the private sector. The average annual pay increase in the public sector was 2.8 per cent, compared with 1.1 per cent in the private sector.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/6825317/Public-sector-pay-and-jobs-rise.html

[T_i_B]

1. It's worth contemplating

what an even bigger mess the UK economy would be in without the growth of the public sector in the past year.

Still, it won't last beyond the next general election when the politicians begin with their spending cuts. There's a real danger that the same people who went off the dole queue into the public sector this year will be chucked straight back there again.

[dipsydoodle]

2. I'd prefer the paradox

of everyone being in the public sector. Then let them sort out the issue of exactly who does pay for their final salary pension scheme.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Agreed

If you think things are bad now, wait till the Tories come along with their axes.