The public sector will need to fill 2.1m job vacancies by 2015/16, according to a report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and Totaljobs.com.

The report also outlines that a £2.5bn saving can be made by the public sector by changing its employment practices by 2015/16 and makes the following policy recommendations:

• Internal vacancies be made the exception rather than the norm
• The maximum number of roles to be posted online, allowing public sector organisations to access a wider talent pool, and ensure cost savings
• To attract the widest range of applicants, roles should be advertised on publicly accessible job boards over public sector organisations’ own websites
• Public sector HR personnel to be trained to use online channels to gain maximum benefit.

Richard Greenwood, managing economist, CEBR, says: “Even in the face of shrinking headcount, the public sector will still have to recruit in droves in the coming years owing to natural churn.

“At a time of intense scrutiny of all facets of public sector spending, it is more critical than ever that all cost efficiencies are realised - the £2.5bn opportunity offered by increased use of the online channel for recruitment represents an ideal chance for public sector bodies to boost their productivity and do more for less.”

John Salt, director, Totaljobs.com, says: “It’s clear from the research that the future of employment in the public sector isn’t as dire as previously thought. However, changes need to be made to utilise these potential savings for our predictions to be realised.

“We’re calling for a greater transparency in ways in which public sector recruitment is conducted, and the report demonstrates that online is a viable and, importantly, a cost-effective way of delivering this.”