The Number Of Government Employees

[Albert Tatlock]

From an economically active population of 42000, the number of employees working for the Government is approximately 7000 full-time posts, excluding seasonal staff.

 

Is this too many, too few, or about right?

 

...surely it's time for an initiative to reduce this number?

[Lonan3]

From an economically active population of 42000, the number of employees working for the Government is approximately 7000 full-time posts, excluding seasonal staff.

 

Is this too many, too few, or about right?

 

...surely it's time for an initiative to reduce this number?

 

That part, at least, is surely an exaggeration?

[Ripsaw]

They should imediately commision an 8 man person consultation team overseen by a 10 person commitee to come up with recommendations for Tynwald to ignore.

 

Up the Democrocy

[Utah 01]

To add a degree of gravitas to what is a serious and quite legitimate question, yes, the government is overmanned and it is symptomatic of an arrogant and unaccountalbe executive. Government service is THE gravy train to join on this Island: pay, pensions and terms of employment have outstripped anything the private sector now has to offer similarly qualified employees and it is OUR taxes which fund this expansion in the public sector. Of course, the reason why government can get away with it is due to its unaccountablity and, despite the recent financial fiascos it has overseen, is still awash with money which, quite naturally, it will spend on itself. Government manning needs a radical overhaul but who is going to put their political ass on the line to get the job done?

[=^..^=]

I guess that 7,000 includes doctors, nurses, the police, teachers, fire people, museum staff (for instance), forresters, the MEA, water treatment workers, airport staff etc etc.

 

One way or another if you remove these people from post and they do not find a job quickly you will end up paying for them.

 

Something the conservatives missed when they closed pits and bought cheaper coal from other countries was the cost of paying for the unemployed.

 

Mind you I suppose the staff who pay benefits would be the first to go...

[Albert Tatlock]

...Government manning needs a radical overhaul but who is going to put their political ass on the line to get the job done?

There is an election this year so they are all on the line anyway. I don't see why people don't say more about this - especially in an election year given the amount of money it costs. Even a four percent reduction to UK civil servant levels would save millions of pounds - which could fund numerous initiatives. By 4% I mean that 16% of the workforce on the island work for government and 12% in the UK - so it's really about a 20% reduction in staffing levels)

 

More worrying are the unelected civil servants who are effectively being given time and being paid (+ a good pension) to push their own opinions (e.g. recent speed limit campaigning) into draft legislation. It seems that one way of moving your lobby group forward might be to become a government employee.

 

IMHO this all requires a well overdue review.

[Utah 01]

I'm ready to be corrected but doctors, nurses, police etc are not directly employed by the government. My wife works in the health service and she would have been delighted to get the exhorbitant pay rise that civil servants have just received.

[manxman8180]

There is an election this year so they are all on the line anyway. I don't see why people don't say more about this - especially in an election year given the amount of money it costs. Even a four percent reduction to UK civil servant levels would save millions of pounds - which could fund numerous initiatives. By 4% I mean that 16% of the workforce on the island work for government and 12% in the UK - so it's really about a 20% reduction in staffing levels)

Without wanting to pour cold water on the flames of your argument, just thought I would have a little sniff at the figures.

 

From what I can see the UK has a workforce of approx 28.8 million, of which 5.8 million are employed in the Public sector (i.e. local and central government, public corporations, Police, NHS, etc, etc). This equates to roughly 20%. So your figures are incorrect.

 

Fairly up to date UK figures are HERE

 

Plus of course, the staff of the MEA and Water Authority skew the figures, as these are both private industries now in the UK.

 

I'm ready to be corrected but doctors, nurses, police etc are not directly employed by the government.

I'm ever so glad that you will accept being corrected, because you are wrong. Civil Servants they may not be, but employed directly by Government they are.

 

So to clarify, do you now wish to congratulate the Government for being able to run with greater efficiency than those on the adjacent Isle?

 

 

Edited to add: Main link to UK Govt Stats is HERE

[=^..^=]

I'm ready to be corrected but doctors, nurses, police etc are not directly employed by the government. My wife works in the health service and she would have been delighted to get the exhorbitant pay rise that civil servants have just received.

 

I'm pretty certain that the whitley council workers (etc) that the govt employs are also counted in that 7,000 figure. Sorry - when I said Doctors I meant the ones at the hospital and not GPs which may have led to some confusion. Doctors (etc) at the hospital are paid for by the govt so will be in the figure. A nurse employed by a GP practice or a private nursing hme would not be in the govt count.

 

The weird thing is that my wife didn't think her pay rise was exhorbitant - hers was certainly less than inflation. So everything we buy has gone up more than her pay rise.

 

Maybe some civil servants got more - I know she didn't.

[Albert Tatlock]

Without wanting to pour cold water on the flames of your argument, just thought I would have a little sniff at the figures.

 

...So your figures are incorrect.

I obtained my figures from the same Govt sites, including (not exclusively) the same document you refer to.

 

You are right to point out that there are differences between the island and the mainland. However, one thing you are missing is that the IOM does not have the same number of departments as on the mainland (e.g. defence etc.) and so a straight forward comparison using basic figures from one document is like trying to compare Apples with Oranges. You need to dig much deeper to make the comparison valid.

[sarahc]

There's been staff capping at the Civil Service for years. What's your problem?

[inspector]

I'm ready to be corrected but doctors, nurses, police etc are not directly employed by the government. My wife works in the health service and she would have been delighted to get the exhorbitant pay rise that civil servants have just received.

 

Matching inflation is hardly exhorbitant is it?

 

What planet do you live on?

[Albert Tatlock]

There's been staff capping at the Civil Service for years. What's your problem?

It needs to be set lower as I think there are too many civil servants on the IOM.

[Topaz]

"You are right to point out that there are differences between the island and the mainland. However, one thing you are missing is that the IOM does not have the same number of departments as on the mainland "

 

So. What mainland would that be ?Norway perhaps ? do tell.

[Utah 01]

'What planet do you live on?' - the planet where many employees in the private sector are getting no or below inflation pay rises. Our civil service rise of 4.3% backdated to last april with another rise of 1.5% in the not too distant future is taking the proverbial - boy, that gravy must tatste soooooo good!