A new survey has revealed that the British public sector is now generating merely a handful of IT employment opportunities, as the impact of government spending cuts begins to bite.

Research from technology staffing organisation Rethink Recruitment found that just four out of every 100 IT jobs in the UK are being created by publicly-funded bodies, down from 30 out of 100 at the beginning of 2010.

"Since the coalition came to power in May this year, public sector recruitment freezes have really taken hold," Rethink director Michael Bennett told Reuters. "Public sector IT recruitment has gone through a period of shock."

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat alliance is believed to be lining up further reductions in expenditure from next month, with cuts of up to 25 per cent already being implemented in some areas.

Another recent poll from Totaljobs.com revealed that around two-thirds of public sector workers would be willing to accept lower salaries in order to hang on to their jobs.

Posted by Hayley Edwards