Budget watchdog finds average public service job costs $114K - 0 views
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JJ Igra on 12 Dec 12The average public servant costs taxpayers $114,100 a year in total compensation. "Total compensation (per full-time employee) in the federal workforce outpaced not only CPI (inflation), but also that of the Canadian business sector and provinces and territories over the study period," the report states. Although the government has recently announced new restraint measures that will cut the number of public servants, the PBO estimates that average compensation for salaries and benefits will reach $129,800 in the next three years. Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Gregory Thomas said he found some of the numbers "staggering," particularly since average household income growth is in the neighbourhood of one per cent. "This government has been in office for six years, you wonder when are they are going to get serious about controlling payroll costs," he said. Ottawa recently announced it has already shed about 11,000 in the first six months of the program. When the current austerity measures are completed, the public service will decline to 349,000, if Ottawa sticks with the program. "The period between 2012-13 and 2014-15 resembles those of the mid-1990s, as both personnel expenses and federal employment (are) reduced," the report states. "The PBO expects a significant slowdown in personnel expenses, given assumptions about baseline employment." Compensation is expected to continue to grow, although not at the rate of the past 13 years. The report projects that by 2014-15, the average annual compensation for a federal employee will rise to $129,800, a growth rate of 4.4 per cent per annum. That is a few thousand dollars less than would have been the case without the restraint program. The PBO complains, however, as it has in the past, that it has not been given sufficient information about how the restraint program is being implemented, or its impact. "As such, parliamentarians do not have the resources with which to determine areas of priorit
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JJ Igra on 12 Dec 12Questions: With the government cutting off public servant, how will this effect the distribution on public services provided to Canadians Is there other alternatives the government can consider rather than laying off public servants to decrease the government's expenditure?