Promise of more public sector jobs and better people management sweetens Brownís tough medicine

John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, comments as follows on the detail of the Chancellorís spending review:

ìThe headline grabbing cuts in civil service jobs - and the hostile reaction this is bound to provoke - should not deflect attention from the positive features of the Chancellorís spending review. Despite announcing a total reduction of more than 100,000 jobs as part of his overall efficiency drive, the Chancellor promised an additional 250,000 front-line workers by 2008 - a net gain in public sector employment. The impression that Mr Brown is taking an axe to the public sector workforce is therefore misleading. Pruning shears would a more apt metaphor.

ìIt is encouraging that the Chancellor - following the lead set by last weekís CIPD survey - has highlighted a reduction in sickness absence as a source of efficiency savings. CIPD will offer advice and support to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on this matter. It is important that HR professionals are closely involved in both this and the more general process of downsizing the public sector in order to ensure that short-run cost cutting does not harm long-term service delivery.

ìIn this respect the CIPD strongly welcomes the promise in the spending review of a further rethink on the role of centralised performance targets, plus greater devolution to local managers, less red tape, and empowerment of front-line staff and other public service professionals. This marks a significant step toward the CIPDís recommendations for improved people management and better public service delivery.

ìHowever, the CIPD intends to monitor how well and how quickly the Government starts to act on these promises. There has often been a gap between ministerial rhetoric on public service reform and what actually happens on the ground. Only when the Chancellor demonstrates that his measures are starting to close this implementation gap will taxpayers and public sector workers have increased trust in the Governmentís ability to deliver.î