KEY POINTS:
The "core public service" is expanding at four times the rate of the public health and education sectors, a Government survey shows.
The annual survey, released by State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble, shows the number of core public servants grew from 42,047 last year to 44,335 in the year to June 30 - an increase of 5 per cent.
But when taken from 2002, it shows the number of "core" public servants - 75 per cent of them paper pushers - has risen by 35 per cent, compared with just an 8 per cent rise over the period in the number of public health and education workers.
The "core" public service covers staff at ministries, departments and prisons, but not schools, hospitals and research institutes.
However, the survey shows those in the health and education sectors fared better in the pay rise stakes, enjoying 21 and 19 per cent rises since 2002 respectively, compared with core public servants, who averaged just 13 per cent - 5 per cent of it in the past year.
Workers in the public health and education sectors, when combined, still outnumber core public servants by about three-and-a-half to one.
Among the departments, the biggest raw rise in employees was the Corrections Department which hired 732 more staff, taking their total tally to 6332.
Dr Prebble said the 13 per cent rise was due to the department commissioning three new prisons in the year.
Inland Revenue added 371 staff taking its headcount to 5595. Dr Prebble said administering KiwiSaver was partly responsible for the 8 per cent rise.
However, the biggest percentage rise was the State Services Commission itself which grew by 20 per cent - from 180 to 215 staff.
Overall, 23 departments increased staff, three stayed the same, while five shed staff. They were Land Information New Zealand, the Education Review Office, Statistics New Zealand and the National Library.
The survey found the median core public service salary at the end of June was $48,343, up almost 5 per cent on last year's figure of $45,900.
The average salary moved up from $53,948 to $56,619 - about $10,000 higher than for the general population.
- NZPA
