Companies close door to former public sector staff
Business digest: Government hopes of private
sector employing redundant state employees look
forlorn
LAST UPDATED 10:32 AM, FEBRUARY 21, 2011 Share
Although more than half of private sector companies plan to create jobs this year, an equal number will not be looking to hire public sector workers made redundant, according to a survey of 500 companies by Barclays and the Financial Times.
52 per cent of private employers say that such people are not equipped to contribute to their business. Kevin Wall, Barclays Corporate's managing director, said that the results reflect a prejudiced attitude that was "dangerous".
London is likely to see the most jobs created this year, with 78 per cent of companies interviewed saying that they had plans to do so. Northern Ireland and Wales were at the bottom of the table for job creation.
In a blow to government hopes, three-quarters of the private sector firms fear that they will not be able to compensate for public sector job losses caused by budget cuts.
Read a full report at the Financial Times (subscription).