Stuff had an article yesterday asking how much fat can be trimmed off public sector jobs. I would suggest that the answer is plenty, plus some more. Stuff, however, thinks such thoughts are too simplistic.
It is too simplistic to assume that recent large increases in public sector staff numbers mean cuts won’t hurt, economists say, but there is likely some fat that can be cut.
A number of ministries have outlined plans to reduce their staff numbers in the face of a Government directive to cut spending.
The Ministry of Primary Industries plans to cut 384 roles, or 9% of its workforce.
The Ministry of Health is lining up 188 roles. The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is looking to reduce its workforce by 40%, or 63 people, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), is working through a round of redundancies, too.
Stuff
Media and simpering leftists all use the Ministry for Pacific Peoples as an example of drastic and appalling cuts, without actually saying that even if you cut 40% of their jobs they’d still have more staff than in 2017 when Labour won the Treasury benches.
And Ben Thomas helpfully provided a nice chart to show the extent of the growth in that particular ministry.
Eric Crampton goes further and tells journalists how they can find this information out for themselves but, strangely, they never do.
What did Stuff do? They compared staff numbers this year with last year’s. It portrays a much smaller example of the expansion of the public sector, leaving readers to conclude what Stuff wanted them to conclude, that the Government’s cuts are extreme, when they aren’t.
Economist Cameron Bagrie said the key question when it came to job cuts and staff numbers was what those people had been producing in their roles.
“This is where the great question marks start to get laid bare. Despite a big increase – it doesn’t matter whether you look at government spending or the number of people on the ground – there doesn’t seem to have been a material increase in the delivery of core government services. The implication is that a whole lot of monitoring and paper shuffling action has taken place.”
He said an 80% increase in government spending over the past five years meant there would be some fat to cut. But he warned against slashing back office roles.
Stuff
That’s the real problem: an 80% increase in government spending over the past five years.
This chart from The Facts shows that the increase in expenditure for Covid-19 was meant to be temporary but since then it has gone up another $44 billion!
The New Zealand economy is in the toilet and the public sector is incredibly bloated. The Government has no choice but to cut huge amounts of fat from the public sector. It is unsustainable to continue as if there are no problems.
Staff cuts are just the start. There really needs to be a solid re-think about the role of the state pervading and insinuating itself into far too many aspects of our lives.
Start with the staff cuts, then look at the plethora of idiotic ministries that add no value to anyone except those staffing them.
Help Keep The BFD Alive
Expenses are growing, ad revenue is shrinking. Things have to change otherwise we will need to cut services. We don’t want to have to do that. It’s really up to you.
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
