Of the 5,000 jobseekers questioned by Totaljobs.com, less than a quarter (23%) of those from the public sector said they would be willing to compromise on pay to secure public- sector jobs, while only 4% said they would compromise on pension rights.
With the Government turning its attention to "gold-plated" public-sector pensions, which Nick Clegg described as "unfair and unaffordable", few public-sector workers are unwilling to sacrifice a comfortable retirement in return for higher pay over the short term.
The research indicates some jobseekers are unwilling to be flexible when presented with job opportunities. The Totaljobs barometer indicates a quiet confidence from UK businesses with a 2% growth in recruitment since January.
This buoyancy is not reflected by jobseekers. With 47% having applied for more than 11 jobs and a third never being invited to a single interview, the survey indicates this is not a sign of the economic times, but could be the result of poor quality applications and lack of preparation at interview stage.
Indeed, 60% of jobseekers admitted to spending fewer than two hours on each application following a job search, including the time to write a CV and covering letter, and prepare ahead of an interview. What’s more, the same proportion was unwilling to spend more than £25, including travel, on each interview. However, on the upside, 13% of those surveyed had travelled over 100 miles to interview.
John Salt, website director at Totaljobs said: "Our findings show that jobseekers are willing to take a temporary sacrifice in pay for financial security in the future and this is particularly true for those in the public sector. During the worst of recession, we were seeing those made redundant from the private sector look to the public sector as the place to go for job and financial security. But as the new Government begins sharpening the axe we can see the beginnings of fear and inflexibility in the public sector over pension rights in particular.
"With unemployment still high, jobseekers need to make themselves as marketable as possible. It is essential that job applicants prepare properly for each interview, give their CVs and covering letters the attention they deserve and do thorough research on the company they are applying to. Whether you have just lost your job or are looking for your first, it is tempting to use the scatter gun approach to find a job, but I would suggest that being more targeted can pay dividends in the long term."
