Public sector bodies are at risk of economic crime and fraud because of spending cuts, research suggests.

According to a survey by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), job losses and the fear of redundancy are the main factors behind the threat.

More than half of UK respondents - 52% - said their organisation suffered economic crime in the last 12 months, compared with a global average of 32%.

The survey also suggests there is increased vulnerability for organisations, as staff reductions mean fewer resources being spent on internal controls and internal auditors are being asked to do more with less.

The report suggested the current levels of fraud are mainly perpetrated by more junior members of staff in the public sector.

I think that it depends on what type of business it is. If it is a knowledge business then people will be able to take customer lists etc that will help them in a new post with a competitor or if they plan to go self employed.

I'm sys-admin for manufacturing company. I could easily copy all the useful information to an external hard drive, my laptop or up into the cloud. I could sell that to a competitor or take it to my new employer, if they were in the same field... But I'm a professional, so I wouldn't do it.

I've worked in the finance department of several large multi-nationals, over the years, dealing with their monthly financial reporting systems, but, again, it never crossed my mind to sell the information.