Recruitment in the UK’s public sector is on the up, as a result of changes affecting finance jobs.

Gerwyn Davies, government policy advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said that as the number of redundancies rise in the financial sector, more professionals are weighing up alternative career options.

"We are seeing public sector employment going up. We are seeing evidence that the likes of the city workers are becoming interested in professions in the public sector such as teaching," reported.

According to the latest employment figures from the Office for National Statistics, the unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent for the last quarter of 2008, a growth of 0.5 per cent compared to the previous quarter and 1.3 per cent over the year.

The new Confederation of British Industry/PricewaterhouseCoopers, Financial Services Survey indicated that 40 per cent of UK firms reporting a reduction in headcount – the highest rate since June 1993.