The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) have published a new report claiming that public sector organisations outside the NHS and schools face a 40% cut in its workforce over the next five years. Independent forecasts released by the Office for Budget Responsibility in December predicted a 1.1 million reduction in general government employment between 2010/11 and 2018/19 as a result of austerity measures. The IFS claim that if health and schools continue to benefit from the “ring-fence” protection from cuts, the rest of the general government workforce would have to shrink by 40% – shedding 900,000 of its 2.2 million jobs – by 2018/19.
