New data revealing there are almost 30 people competing
for each public sector job shows the human cost of the
Government’s arbitrary cuts to the public service, says the
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga
Mahi.
Data from 75 public organisations shows there
were almost 286,000 applications for 10,000 public service
jobs in the first half of this year – a ratio of 28.5
applications per role, compared to just eight applications
per role in 2023.
PSA National Secretary
Fleur Fitzsimons says the figures expose the human cost of
the Government’s arbitrary cuts to the public
service.
“The numbers speak for
themselves – competition for public sector jobs has more
than tripled from eight applications per role in 2023 to
almost 30 now. Real people who had more to give have been
thrown on the scrapheap by a Government that made arbitrary
6.5 to 7.5 percent cuts across the board.
“Some large
ministries dealt with thousands of applicants – the Ministry
of Social Development alone had almost 20,000 applicants for
1,000 roles, while some agencies like Crown Law had 460
applications for just 13 roles.
“These cuts weren’t
made because there was any identified need to reduce jobs or
improve efficiency – they were made purely to pay for tax
cuts including $3 billion for landlords. The human cost of
those political priorities is now
clear.
“This is a public service that is
starting to crack under pressure as remaining staff struggle
with increased workloads while their skilled colleagues who
were providing essential services are now desperately
seeking work, with many moving
overseas.
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“Among those cut were people
modernising our IT systems to make our health system more
responsive and efficient, and staff at the Department of
Internal Affairs who keep our kids safe from online
predators. These weren’t inefficiencies being trimmed –
these were essential services being gutted.
“There is
important work that needs to be done to support New
Zealanders, and there are committed people ready and willing
to do it. It makes no sense to have a public service under
pressure while skilled people who were laid off are now
struggling to find work.
“The Government needs to
properly fund the public service to meet the needs of all
New Zealanders,” Fitzsimons
said.
Note:
The
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing
and supporting more than 94,000 workers across central
government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health
boards and community
groups.
