THE number of public sector workers has grown by around 800 since the launch of a government streamlining model led by former chief executive Charlie Parker, which was designed to drive efficiencies.
Figures released in the States annual accounts revealed that there were 7,570 people employed within the Government of Jersey compared with around 6,700 in 2018 when the OneGov campaign was launched.
The OneGov programme was designed to deliver modernisation and change within the public sector.
However, it regularly attracted criticism for the use of highly paid consultants and interim workers who were brought in to implement change.
Treasury Minister Susie Pinel said the reason for the rise in government staff – with the average number of full-time-equivalent employees growing by 615 from 2020 to 2021 – was a result of Mr Parker’s model.
She said it was ‘part of the government operation at the time’, which she said was a ‘model to increase the number of civil servants’.
Deputy Pinel added: ‘All I can say is that it has taken quite a while to put everything in place.’
The minister said she did not know when the 7,570 headcount would reduce. The government’s annual report and accounts also show that Mr Parker was paid up to £585,000 last year, the majority of which was his £500,000 severance pay.
He stood down from the role last March following a public outcry over his decision to accept a second role as a non-executive director of UK real-estate trust New River in autumn 2020.
The accounts also revealed the six-figure salaries handed out to senior civil servants last year and showed that interim chief executive Paul Martin was paid around £220,000 for his tenure last year, which began in March.
Meanwhile, the director general for Health and Community Services was paid up to £220,000, while the chief operating officer was paid a similar sum. The States treasurer received up to £210,000 while the director general for the economy was the highest-paid civil servant, being remunerated up to £245,000.
The government’s headcount includes to 6,874 full-time employees, with its FTE count also rising from 6,546 in 2020.
Broken down by department, at the end of 2021, the Health Department had the highest number of staff at 2,475, which was up from 2,371 at the end of 2020, while the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department had the second-highest at 2,340, a rise of 2,268.
All departments, except for the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment Department and the Office of the Chief Executive, had more staff last year than the year before.
