The cooperation of IT contractors and other employees could be key to meeting the challenges faced by private and public sector organisations over the next decade.

Employers and staff have set a high bar by working together through the recession to manage problems, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

However, CBI director-general Richard Lambert has underlined the importance of this attitude being maintained throughout the coming ten years.

He said: "If the public sector could take some of the hard-learned lessons from the private sector, it could help minimise some of the pain.

"With good communication and co-operation between public sector employers and unions, we hope to avoid the potential for industrial action."

Earlier this week, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development indicated that consulting employees on changes to business processes could help firms improve efficiency in the long term, such as by setting up an intranet forum for workers to make suggestions.