FOURTEEN Government employees received more than £870,000 in settlement packages last year, costing the taxpayer almost four-times as much as the previous year.
The recently-published States of Jersey Annual Report and Accounts revealed that there were a total of 14 compromise agreements processed in 2024 at a cost of £870,069.
This averages at around £62,148 per employee.
In comparison, just six staff members received ‘loss of office’ payments in 2023 – totalling £225,565.
This means that the public sector bill for ‘golden handshakes’ was almost four-times higher in 2024 than the previous year.
The annual accounts also revealed that there were 27 compulsory and voluntary redundancies last year, costing the Government a total of £579,823.
This averages at around £21,475 per employee.
In comparison, there were 22 redundancies in 2023 which cost £84,650. This averaged at just £3,847 per staff member.
The 2024 annual report explains that the increase in exit payments can be partly attributed to the Government’s voluntary and compulsory redundancy schemes.
It explains: “These schemes are essential for facilitating cost-saving initiatives and efforts to curb public sector growth.
“It is a requirement within the business case for any voluntary or compulsory redundancy payment that the department expects to make a net saving on the overall wage bill.
“So, although payments were higher in 2024, this will result in overall net reoccurring savings in future years.”
