Public sector bodies have been urged by the government and analysts to move towards shared services to save money in response to budget cutbacks.

The findings in the research revealed that three quarters (73 percent) of public sector organisations believed that having the right supporting technology is "important" or "very important" when implementing a shared service for HR and payroll.

The , 'HR and payroll shared services in the public sector - perceptions and realities', examined the opinions of over 100 UK public sector representatives involved in functions spanning HR, payroll, finance, purchasing and IT.

Of those sharing services, two in three (63 percent) organisations share services internally, whereby multiple departments share a centralised service or services.

One in five (18 percent) operate a joint service shared with another organisation, while 12 percent are the lead organisation supplying services to other organisations.