Originally Posted by Unregistered

To be clear, public sector implies Ministries and their Stat Boards, as well as other Organs of State. The other few exceptions could be professional boards. Therefore, public healthcare institutions (i.e. public hospitals and their respective clusters) are not considered public sector. They are in fact private limited and private legal entities. I wouldn't go as far as to say they are GLC, cause they are not for profits, and yet they receive funding from the government.

In my honest opinion, it would be better to pursue a HR job in the private sector (preferably in an MNC) if you wish to specialise in HR. Public sector's HR roles are more generalist, and you will not be able to learn niche areas (e.g. Com and Ben, L&D etc.) unless you struggle for more than 10 years to reach at least DD position (for non scholars). And the skill sets may not be transferable to the private still.

Conversely, you will be able to specialise in a HR area of your interest earlier if you were to start off in the private sector. The experience you'll gain will be more enriching, and you'll probably have better salary package. Plus should you wish to join the public sector as a mid-career, the transition would be easier as your experience in the private will be taken into consideration.