The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has again reiterated that the government should employ more flexible workers, such as IT contractors, rather than just cutting jobs.

It has been announced this week that the government is to axe nearly 300 jobs from the Central Office of Information, as part of its cost-cutting drive.

However, the REC in insistent that adequate savings could be made by taking a more flexible approach to working, employing temporary staff to respond to peaks and troughs in demand.

There is also the question of what effect this will have on the quality of service that this important government department provides.

Chair of the REC's marketing media and creative group Steve Hyde said: "The knock-on effect that cuts in communications services will have also needs to be considered.

"These challenging times call for clear communication from Government about the tough decisions they are making."

The REC has just announced that the recruitment growth rate for temporary workers slowed in June, as public sector cuts begin to take hold.