If you spend most of your waking hours sat at an office desk but are looking for more flexibility to achieve a better balance in your work/home life, it has just been suggested that the best places to work are in the public sector.

Public sector jobs are more likely to offer flexible hours, job share, working from home and time off for studying.

Twenty years ago, the public sector was at the very forefront of the revolution of flexible hours, pioneering initiatives such as part-time and flexi-time.

Jayne Rowley, expert at the company Graduate Prospects, says:

"Public sector organisations are more progressive in their policies, but what they do not do is promote that message loudly or often enough to graduates. You would expect salary would be a huge part of what graduates were saying, but we were surprised at how much work-life balance featured. There was also a much greater awareness of issues like pensions, which tend to be better in the public sector."

A recent study set by Manpower, the recruitment agency, revealed that the public sector offered a much higher degree of employee benefits and more so than many private sector companies. Figures revealed that out of 3,500 employers in the UK, seven out of 10 employers in the public sector offered a good package of benefits; however, less than half of employers in the private service sector offered any employee benefits at all.

The Office for National Statistics as an organisation offers great employee benefits from ergonomic office furniture, bonuses, access to gyms and crèches and even masseurs to relieve workers’ stress.