TOTAL public spending on temporary workers has fallen by 58% over the past three years.
During the first half of 2026, the government spent £16.7 million on consultants, agency staff and temporary workers. During the same period in 2023, the total spend was £39.6m.
The total spent on these positions during the first six months of 2025 was £18.3m. However, the amount spent on temporary workers increased by £1.6m from last year which, according to a new report, was “driven primarily by strategic digital services programmes to address technical debt, improve cyber security, modernise critical systems and replace ageing infrastructue”.
“These programmes require specialist skills that are not readily available within the permanent workforce and are time-limited in nature.” the report said. “Whilst this has increased expenditure in the short term, the work is intended to reduce operational risk and improve the sustainability of government systems over the longer term.”
People included in the figures range from those who provide the government with specialist advice when in-house knowledge is not available, to workers who fill short-term capacity for specific projects and cover for seasonal peaks and sickness.
The department which spent the most on temporary staff and resources was the Health Department at £4.865m while education spent £2.698m.
Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, said: “Making this saving of almost 60% reflects the continuing focus we have on tightening control of public spending.
“This is about building a stronger and more cost-effective public service with greater in-house capability to provide the services Islanders rely on every day.”
The Common Strategic Policy, which outlines government priorities for the political term, includes a commitment to create a leaner, more cost-effective public service with better workforce planning and greater in-house capability and expertise.
During a recent Scrutiny hearing, Senator Farnham said that it was his “intention” that a public sector recruitment freeze, which was initially introduced in 2024 and later expanded in a bid to curb the growth of the island’s public sector workforce, would continue into next year.
The freeze for non-essential senior roles was implemented for pay grades 11 and above in August 2024 and expanded in April last year to include roles at grade nine and above, as well as all non-clinical, non-teaching and non-social worker roles in the Health Department and Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department.
