JERSEY’s public sector grew over 20 times faster than the private sector last year, new figures have shown.
Statistics Jersey’s Labour Market Report, published on Wednesday, found that there was an increase of 100 jobs in the private sector (0.2% increase) and 430 in the public sector (4.6% increase) from December 2023 to December 2024.
That means for every one private sector job added last year, more than four public sector jobs were created. Put another way, the public sector grew 23 times faster than the private sector on a percentage basis.
The departments with the largest annual increase were Health Care Jersey, which increased by 190, and Children, Young People, Education and Skills, which increased by 170 between December 2023 and 2024.
The report showed the total number of jobs filled as of December 2024 was 64,790 – the highest number recorded in December to date.
This can be broken down into 54,910 jobs in the private sector and 9,880 in the public sector.
Around 15% of the Island’s workforce is therefore employed by the government, compared to 14.9% in the last report published in October.
Public sector jobs have increased by 21.5% over the last five years – compared to an increase of 5.6% across all sectors and 3.1% in the private sector.
The sharp rise, which hugely outstrips that of the private sector, may seem surprising given that Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham pledged, and repeatedly reiterated those pledges, to “curb growth” in the public sector upon being elected to the top job in February last year.
The report also illustrated the plight of certain sectors and the dominance of others – financial and legal activities remain the largest sector, accounting for 23% of jobs, while agriculture and fishing account for around 3% of the workforce, and manufacturing at 2%.
Notable decreases were recorded in construction and quarrying (270 jobs), hotels, restaurants and bars (100 jobs), wholesale and retail (80 jobs), and information and communication (70 jobs).
The figures underscore a challenging period for the construction industry, with Nicholson Builders and K-Land Construction both ceasing trading this year.
2024 saw Kalmac, MAC Energy, and Eden Interiors – all part of the MAC Group – go bust due to a “downturn” in the housing market, while Mitchell Building Contractors also ceased trading due to a “broken planning system” and “spiralling labour, plant and material costs.” 2023 also saw the collapse of building firms Camerons and JP Mauger.
Sectors where the number of jobs was on the rise include financial and legal activities (300 jobs), private education and health (140 jobs), transport and storage (70 jobs), and agriculture and fishing (50 jobs).
Jersey’s labour market report is published every six months and covers key aspects of jobs in the workforce for both the public and private sectors.
