There has been a strong decline in the jobs market for IT contractors looking for work in the public sector.

Figures published by the Society of Information Technology Management have suggested that IT staff expenditure by local authorities is set to fall by ten per cent this year.

Jeff Brooks, chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's technology division, claims that this is an error on the part of the government.

He stated: "While we might expect budgets to be squeezed this year, IT is a major driver of productivity gain throughout the public sector."

Among the key issues Mr Brooks highlights is the development of the government cloud for shared resources and plans for super-fast broadband roll out.

Both of these initiatives require investment in skills and talent such as IT contractors, he asserts.

In other news, research by Microsoft UK has revealed that 41 per cent of human resources managers have rejected applications due to details available on social media sites, which IT contractors should keep in mind if applying for public sector jobs.