Latest news: Women in public sector job cuts

Research reveals women have been hit the hardest in public sector job losses. 27/10/2011

The study by GMB Union showed that of the 129,000 job cuts throughout councils across the country, two-thirds were female. The figures regarding the public sector job losses were taken from between the first quarter of 2010 and the second quarter of this year.

There are 19 councils where the number of women made up 100% of the total cuts to council staff. These included North Warwickshire, Canterbury, Oxford, West Somerset and Hammersmith and Fulham in London, concurring with the study of 312 local authorities.

The highest numbers came in the South East with 75.8% of the total drop being in this region. Other regions of the country where cuts were above average and affected a solely female workforce were: the East of England (71% of the total), West Midlands (70%), Wales (69.8%) and the North East (68.4%).

‘The drop in the number of women employed in the public sector means a serious loss of income from employment to women across the UK. Many households depend on having income from two wage earners to pay the mortgage and the household bills. The impact will be even worse in the quarter of households with children that are headed by lone parents, 90% of whom are women,’ says GMB national officer, Brian Strutton.

The figures are from a new analysis by GMB public services union of official data for employment in local councils in England and Wales compiled by The Office of National Statistics (ONS).

‘In the middle of the worst international recession for 80 years it is the Government itself that is creating unemployment with 250,000 public sector posts already gone and still more cuts to come. These posts could have been available to the 2.57 million workers now facing the despair of mass unemployment,’ added Brian Strutton.

If you have concerns about the lack of jobs in the public sector, check out the advice and information on postgraduate study for further options.