There are over 550 jobs in government this week, so it's quite appropriate to mention that today as it's been announced that graduate trainee jobs in the private sector are down by an average 13% this year. But never mind, the government are content on squeezing the productive, profit making sector to line the pockets of the state apparatus.
Our runner up from the the Guardian jobs pages today is a job as a Climate Change Officer at Bedford Borough Council, which includes a car allowance (I wonder if it’s a Prius?). Our winner, and the non-job of the week, is from Surrey County Council:
“Publications Journalist
£32,169 - £36,912
With excellent knowledge of newspaper, magazine or online publishing and a proven track record of working as a professional journalist your job will be to research and write for Surrey Matters, our magazine for the 1.1 million residents of Surrey, Jigsaw, our staff magazine, and their respective online equivalents.
Reporting to the Publications Editor, this wide ranging role requires you to assist in developing these and other key publications while helping explore revenue generating initiatives to help make them cost effective.
You will also be expected to help develop the online versions of publications.
A confident team player, you'll have a flair for communication and building relationships and work as an ambassador for the Council as you meet with people inside and outside the organisation. You will also help manage editorial boards and be involved in the entire process of developing each publication. This provides a good opportunity to get to know all parts of the Council and Surrey. There is plenty of scope for development in this interesting and diverse area where no two days are the same."
We can all breathe a sigh of relief now that we know Surrey County council are fighting the recession by throwing nearly £40k into their propaganda department.
We’ll all hear about crises in local government funding as the economy stagnates. But you’ll also notice that the recommendations the officer corps put to the councillors are to cut where it hurts first, on the front line. The bureaucratic non-jobbers will remain; the axe won’t fall on the equality and diversity, health and safety and other PC positions. They’ll be there to carry on their ideological wars against smoking, freedom and traditional views out of sync with their bureaucratic, killjoy worldview.
That is, unless, you do something about it. Contact the new leader of Surrey county council, Cllr Andrew Povey, to ask him to stop funding non-jobs and to get to work on council tax reductions.