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PUBLIC sector growth is down to strengthening frontline services in health and education, the vice-chair of the States Employment Board has said, as he defended the government’s commitment to driving efficiencies. New figures show Jersey’s civil service has increased by 27% since before the pandemic. Statistics Jersey’s June 2025 Labour Market Report shows there were 65,320 jobs this summer, up 110 (0.2%) on the previous year. The public sector expanded by 230 jobs (2.4%) to 9,940, while the private sector decreased by 130 jobs (0.2%) to 55,370. Within government, the largest increases in core staff were in Health and Care Jersey, which added 200 jobs, and Children, Young People, Education and Skills, which added 120. Private-sector losses were led by hotels, restaurants and bars (−330 jobs, −5%), construction and quarrying (−190, −3%), and retail (−140, −2%). The sharp rise, which hugely outstrips that of the private sector, comes despite Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham pledging to “curb growth” in the public sector upon being elected to the top job in February last year. Last August, he introduced a public sector recruitment freeze aimed at non-essential, non-frontline, and senior civil service posts earning £66,000 and above – a move he claimed could “save millions”. At the time, it was scheduled to last for at least nine months, but in April this year, the freeze was extended to include civil servants earning £53,500 and above, until at least March 2026. It did not apply to any clinical, teaching or social worker roles. Responding to the latest labour market figures, Assistant Chief Minister Malcolm Ferey, vice-chair of the States Employment Board, said: “The current Council of Ministers has recognised that the previous rate of expansion in the public sector was unsustainable, and a recruitment freeze in higher management grades of the public sector – and on external consultants – was implemented in August 2024 to curb the growth. Frontline services, particularly in health and education, were protected. “Our priority is clear; to protect and strengthen the services that matter most to Islanders. The growth in numbers is in essential health and education roles but other areas of the public sector have reduced. “This balanced approach has stabilised the overall size of the public sector and curbed growth compared to previous years. “Without a recruitment freeze from August 2024, estimated growth in the public sector workforce would have added a further 325 FTE higher by May 2025 and an additional £23m in payroll costs.” Sir Mark Boleat, senior adviser at the Jersey Policy Centre, said the increase was widely recognised within government but difficult to reverse. “The number of public-sector jobs has continued to grow. That’s been recognised by the government. The chief executive has made the point that this cannot continue, and I think the Chief Minister has as well,” he said. “It’s easy to say the numbers have grown – it’s far more difficult to cut them. The government will point out that a lot of the growth is teachers and nurses, and nobody can complain about teachers and nurses. “I don’t think anybody is very happy with the figures, including the government, but actually doing anything about them is rather more difficult.” Philip Romeril, a businessman and one of the founders of Value Jersey, questioned the civil service growth. “From our research, what people are seeing and what people are telling us they’re seeing is that there seems to be a large amount of expenditure from government which isn’t necessarily getting the value-for-money impact they expect – particularly when many are tightening their belts in their day-to-day lives,” he said. “People tell us they’re finding it really tough at the moment, with prices going up, and they’re not sure they’re seeing the government doing the same when it comes to tightening its belt.”
