"Within the context of recessions, the apparent trade-off between improving the quality of existing and future jobs and creating new jobs may become unbalanced with much greater emphasis on the latter. This imbalance could increase work stress among current and future workers, which in turn has health, economic and social costs. The 2008-09 recession has already resulted in increased levels of psychosocial work stressors in Britain. There has been an increase in job insecurity, work intensity and inter-personal conflict at work. Job insecurity among public sector workers has doubled since 2009. Since 2009, public sector workers have also reported a greater increase in (and higher levels of) work intensity, inter-personal work conflicts, bullying by managers and work hours compared to private sector workers. With cuts in government spending in the 2010 Emergency Budget primarily affecting public sector employment, levels of work stress could increase even more among public sector workers. Any estimated cost savings from planned cuts in government spending need to be balanced against the economic costs of work stress."

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