In brief: Public sector survey

/ 02 March 2010

The key facts

With budgets under pressure and public sector managers expecting a tough 12-18 months ahead, the ILM Leading Change in the Public Sector report revealed some key findings about the current issues facing the sector and the post-election challenges in 2010 and beyond

Here and now: the current situation
69% have experienced budget cuts in the last 12 months
So far, 26% have avoided any cuts

What the future holds: challenges ahead
89% of public sector managers expect budget cuts in the next 12-18 months
Cuts will hit jobs with 49% expecting to make redundancies
52% expect reduced quality of public services as a result of cuts
Only 24% think senior managers are well-equipped to deal with budget cuts

But despite the threat of cuts, these managers are highly committed and motivated. These high levels of satisfaction are reflected in their commitment and professionalism:
70% of managers are satisfied or very satisfied in their current roles
12% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied
18% are neutral, so overall levels of satisfaction are incredibly high

With a general election likely in May, a huge deficit and inevitable cuts, the impact on teams and workloads is a real area for concern:
73% expect workloads to increase
69% say staff morale will be affected
67% expect stress levels will be exacerbated by a climate of cuts
47% are worried about their personal job security

But the new age of austerity will bring opportunities to improve business processes and modernise antiquated systems, manage out under performers and improve productivity levels:
51% see the opportunity to adopt an innovative and creative approach to running their organisations
42% will focus on inefficiencies
28% hope to manage out poor performers

And with a nod to the green agenda:
27% expect to become more sustainable