Private v Public Sector - A Clash of Two Cultures?

Here is an article which neatly links two key topics for A2 business students - unemployment/employment and corporate culture.

The UK government is hoping for a private-sector led economic recovery that will generate sufficient new jobs to soak up the unemployment created as a result of government spending cuts. The private sector certainly has a good track record of job creation in the UK, but will firms be keen to employ people who have spent most or all of their careers to-date working in the public sector? A new survey suggests that there is likely to be reluctance by the private sector.

There are several reasons for this, but a key one appears to be “culture”. Will ex-public sector workers be able to fit in with the prevailing culture in the private sector? What might private sector firms mean by a lack of cultural fit? Does this refer to work ethic, motivation, decision-making ability? Is there any evidence to support private sector concerns or are recruitment managers simply accepting a tired, unproven assumption about the work culture of the public sector?

Perhaps the underlying issue is also one of skills. The private sector is focused on commercial behaviour, driven by the profit motive. An interesting quote in the article hints that this is a perceived barrier to employing public sector applicants:

“A number of companies are looking for staff who are used to a cut-throat business environment, with the ability to deal with big budgets and accounts, or sell products to customers”