By Bill Heaney
Jackie Baillie has raised the alarm on the rise in office-based civil servant posts while police and fire services on the frontline see their job numbers slashed.
Public sector employment figures have shown a huge increase of 3,710 jobs in the devolved civil service compared to 2021.
This amounts to a 15.8 percent increase on the previous year.
This is in stark contrast to other public sector areas, particularly in frontline and emergency services with a dramatic decrease of 2.3 percent in police and fire services over the same time.
Numbers in the reserved civil service and further education also decreased over this period.
Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton constituency MSP, said: “The SNP’s priorities are completely out of order.
“They have slashed jobs in the police and fire services, leaving the people of Scotland at greater risk of harm.
“New statistics released just last month showed that violent and sexual crimes have risen in both West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute. To reduce the number of frontline police at the same time is dangerous.
“Clearly the SNP are more interested in swelling government bureaucracy than protecting the people of Scotland and the services we hold most dear.
“It is clear from these figures that the Scottish Government are failing to protect our communities and our key workers.”
Public Sector Employment Figures
- The latest figures on public sector employment show an increase of 3,710 in the devolved civil service, a rise of 15.8% on 2021.
- There are decreases in headcount in Police & Fire, and in Further Education, while the reserved civil service headcount also fell.
- In September 2022, there were 593,400 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, accounting for 21.9% of total employment.
- In September 2022, employment in the public sector was 9,040 (1.5%) more than in September 2021.
- When major reclassifications are excluded, the public sector increased between September 2021 and September 2022 by around 9,000 (1.6%)
- between September 2021 and September 2022, employment within the Reserved Public Sector decreased in the reserved Civil Service by 530 (-2.1%). Employment increased in Armed Forces by 330 (3.3%) and in Other Public Sector[3] by 340 (1.7%).
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Recorded Crime in Scotland year ending September 2022https://www.gov.scot/news/recorded-crime-in-scotland-year-ending-september-2022/
Aye, the SNP are good at that, just look at the number of SPAD’s that the First Minister and her team employ.
But of course as this article reports it’s much wider than that. A bit the the West Dunbartonshire Council – overstaffed and stuffed full of wage takers delivering little or nothing.