Industry insights - Government and public administration
Government and public administration has three broad areas:
The sector is a consistently popular graduate career choice; traditionally providing job security, a variety of careers and the knowledge that jobs make a real impact on the communities and regions they cover.
Despite the global economic downturn and the impact of cost-cutting measures, departmental cutbacks and new government policies, opportunities definitely still exist for graduate employment but competition is fierce.
There are numerous opportunities in the sector. Within central government and the Civil Service opportunities include:
Regional and devolved government offer similar opportunities in accordance with their jurisdiction.
Local government has a direct influence on people’s lives. There is a diverse range of jobs including:
This sector offers a professional development ethos and the knowledge that jobs have a significant influence on people’s lives. Changes in legislation or funding and the time it takes to get things approved can frustrate and lead to obstacles as well as opportunities.
The public sector as a whole faces widespread cost-saving measures, but the sector still offers reasonable job security.
Salaries vary depending on the job role and level of experience, but average earnings in 2009 were £22,100 (Office for National Statistics, 2009). Deficit cutting measures mean those in the public sector earning above £21,000 will have a two-year pay freeze from 2011. Those entitled to pay progression will receive it, meaning if you are at the start of (or within) a salary band you will continue to get some annual pay increment.
Hours tend to be well regulated and many employers operate flexi-time systems and offer generous holidays.
The Civil Service, local government and Foreign Office were all ranked highly in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2009-2010.
Over six million people are employed in the public sector, with an almost equal divide between local and central government. Over half a million people are employed in the Civil Service (Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2010). The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland directly employ over 20,000 people.
At local government level:
(Local Government Association, 2010)
Opportunities exist throughout the UK, and vary by region. In 2010, public administration accounted for 20% of public sector employment, and saw increases in some parts of the country and decreases in others. This was often significant, with an increase of over 8% in the North East, yet a decrease of over 6% in Wales (Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2010).
The largest public sector employer is the NHS, employing 1.6 million and representing 27% of the total public sector employment.
In central government, only 16% of civil servants are now based in London. The four largest departments (Work and Pensions, Revenue and Customs, Defence, Justice) employ almost three-quarters of all permanent civil service staff (Office for National Statistics, 2010).
Local government opportunities exist within the 433 local authorities (353 in England, 22 in Wales, 32 in Scotland and 26 in Northern Ireland).
The following profiles are examples of key jobs that exist in the government and public administration sector. To find the job roles that best match your skills and interest, login to what jobs would suit me?
For even more career ideas, take a look at types of jobs.
The Civil Service runs a graduate programme called the Civil Service Fast Stream, consisting of a series of 12-18 month placements designed to prepare you for senior management. Some posts are available only to UK nationals, but most are open to Commonwealth Citizens or European Economic Area Nationals with unrestricted right to reside in the UK.
To join the Fast Stream, you need a minimum 2:2 in any discipline. There are several routes to choose from:
Some government departments offer graduate schemes, including HM Treasury, The Highways Agency (HA) and the Ministry of Defence through the Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG). HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) also have a graduate scheme but will not be recruiting from it in 2010. Details on all schemes are available on departmental websites.
The Scottish Government advertises vacancies on the Work for Scotland website and the Northern Ireland Executive advertises via the Northern Ireland Civil Service Recruitment website. The Welsh Assembly Government takes part in the national Civil Service Fast Stream and other posts are advertised directly on the National Assembly for Wales website. All organisations advertise vacancies in the national and local press and on the Civil Service Jobs Online.
The National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP) is a graduate scheme for local government throughout England and Wales. The two-year programme consists of placements in a local authority covering strategic and corporate functions, front-line service delivery and support services such as human resources, finance and IT.
Some local authorities run their own graduate scheme. Visit the website of the council you are interested in to explore the options.
Sources of vacancies include:
Find out more about job application advice.
Many opportunities exist within government and public administration and the skills required will depend on the specific job in question.
However, most jobs demand:
Additional skills that graduate schemes require, include the ability to:
You can develop these skills and attributes through societies and sports activities, as well as through volunteering and placement opportunities.
Central government and civil service includes departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
Departments manage aspects of government policy. They are funded by Parliament and most are headed by ministers and staffed by civil servants.
The biggest departments are:
Executive agencies are part of departments, with their own management and budget. Agencies perform functions of government and deliver public services. The biggest agency is Jobcentre Plus, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions, followed by:
(Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2010)
Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) work independently of, but are accountable to, ministers. They are not staffed by civil servants and there are two main types:
The collective term for local councils, often referred to as local authorities. Public services provided by local councils range from schools and social services to housing, refuse collection and leisure facilities. Councils can provide services directly or arrange for others to do so, mainly from the voluntary or private sector.
SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.
SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.
Your university careers service should have listings of jobs with small firms. See also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
Self-employment on a consultant basis is possible, though this is much more common for experienced professionals who possess specialist expertise.
To find out more see self-employment.
Opportunities exist to work abroad with UK government institutions and other governing bodies, particularly:
With experience it is possible to work in foreign government and public administration, as well as with organisations such as the United Nations (UN) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
See working abroad for more information and links.
Qualifications are recognised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development, however specific requirements will vary according to the position advertised.
When the EU needs to recruit staff with particular knowledge or skills, rather than advertising vacancies, competitions are held. These are advertised on the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) website. The selection procedures will involve competency-based assessments.
Some key competencies sought include:
At graduate entry level there will be two stages - for most jobs this will involve computer-based testing in individual EU countries and an assessment centre in Brussels. Every candidate must:
Candidates must also meet specific requirements relating to qualifications and professional experience.
The European Union (EU) is made up of three main institutions:
The majority of staff are based in Brussels or Luxembourg and competition for places is fierce. Various EU institutions and agencies offer work experience.
There are a number of other agencies that play specialised roles, including the European Central Bank and the European Economic and Social Committee.
Aims of the European Union (EU) include promoting social and economic progress, building common foreign and security policies and developing European citizenship.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the government department responsible for promoting British interests overseas and supporting British citizens and businesses around the world. The FCO has a global network of offices in over 170 countries. Local offices recruit both generalist (e.g. administrative and policy posts) and specialist staff (e.g. economists or legal advisers).
The Department for International Development (DFID) is part of the UK Government managing Britain's aid to poorer countries and working to eradicate extreme poverty. As well as headquarters in London and East Kilbride, DFID has offices in around 40 developing countries and provides aid to around 90 countries. Career areas include health, social development and education advisers.
General UK-based vacancies may lead to overseas opportunities.
The public sector faces a challenging time as the government attempts to reduce the UK budgetary deficit. Many central departments and local authorities have announced a recruitment freeze (with some exceptions, for example the Civil Service Fast stream) or are recruiting lower numbers meaning competition for jobs is tough.
Cost-saving measures may lead to organisational restructuring but graduates should look closely at what options still exist. The sector has an ageing workforce and although not all posts will be replaced in order to cut costs, many will and in some regions there has been an increase in recruitment of around 8%. Graduates should be prepared to look for jobs within departments but not necessarily at graduate level, since many local authorities recruit internally and redeploy staff.
Jobs within a similar field, or work with a similar client group, will also allow graduates to gain experience. Many public sector roles are changing and require multi-skilled staff able to meet the wider demands of the department, not just the specific job.
It is anticipated that there may be difficulty recruiting and retaining staff in some key departmental areas such as planning, environmental health, adult and social care. (Audit Commission, 2010)
The public sector is likely to change radically over the next five years, as attempts to reduce the UK deficit mean there is a drive to have better services at less cost. This may mean current service functions changing or merging with others, and staff adopting more flexible roles. There is also likely to be an increase in service provision from other agencies in the voluntary and private sector.
This initiative being piloted in England adopts a 'whole area' approach to public services with the aim to avoid duplication of work between organisations. The approach looks at:
This network being established encourages community involvement in the local area. The aim is to create a new relationship between citizens and government with respect to both communication and service delivery. The partnership will embrace input from the private and voluntary sector, leading to new methods and providers of public services.
(Local Government Association, 2010)
In the Civil Service:
(Office for National Statistics, 2009)
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