Public sector jobs drop below Government cap

Paula Bennett. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The number of core public servants has fallen well below the Government's cap, helped largely by a reclassification of hundreds of Ministry of Social Development (MSD) staff who remain employed by the department.

The State Services Commission's half yearly report on state sector employee numbers today shows there were 35,656 jobs as at the end of June this year including 1803 which were vacant at that point.

The total is 819 below the cap of 36,475 which was reset in 2011. A year ago the total had all but breached the cap at 36,474.

A key factor in the drop in the job count was several hundred positions being reclassified from MSD which is under the cap to Work and Income which is not. That resulted in a decrease of 720 jobs that are counted under the cap and an increase of 694 jobs which are outside.

Labour state services spokesman Kris Faafoi said there was "a fair amount of spin in what the Government are saying".

"The reduction that they're claiming is due to moving staff from MSD to Work and Income.

"The spin machine is working overtime to make sure they can keep the numbers below the level that they themselves created."

The total number or of public service jobs at 51,130 was down 42 on a year earlier.

Meanwhile the number of communications staff employed by Government departments was 288, up just one on a year ago.

State Services Minister Paula Bennett said the cap had "successfully reversed the trend of unrestrained growth by driving sensible and sustainable reductions in back-office staffing numbers, while focusing on the frontline services people need".

The size of core government administration was forecast to decrease by a further 161 positions over the next two years, she said.