Filenews 24 December 2023 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
n eleven years, the state payroll has "inflated" by €1.1 billion, which is of great concern, as personnel costs are a huge expense for the current government.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance sent to Parliament on the occasion of the budget debate, in 2024 the state payroll will amount to €3.68 billion, with staff expenditure accounting for 28% of the total budget expenditure.
The proportion of staff expenditure in the budget for next year is at 2013 levels. Specifically, in 2013 the salaries of government employees amounted to €2.58 billion, in the next five years and specifically until 2017 the payroll recorded a downward trend but from 2018 onwards personnel costs increased.
In fact, from 2019 to 2024 an increase of €1 billion is estimated.
In detail, in 2013 the payroll was €2.58 billion. (28% of total expenditure), in 2014 due to the fiscal consolidation measures taken in the context of the implementation of the Memorandum it decreased to €2.43 billion. (30% of total expenditure), while in 2015 it decreased further, reaching €2.39 billion. (25% of total expenditure).
In 2016, total staff remuneration had reached its lowest levels, as it had fallen to €2.38 billion. (32% of total expenditure).
In 2017 the state payroll rose to €2.42 billion, in 2018 it increased to €2.51 billion. and in 2019 amounted to €2.65 billion. In 2020 and 2021, expenditure on salaries increased to €2.75 billion. and €2.79 billion. respectively.
From 2022 onwards, the increase in personnel costs continued. In 2022 the state payroll reached €2.9 billion, in 2023 it rose to €3.23 billion. and next year it will reach almost €3.7 billion.
It is noted that the large increase in the payroll in 2023 and 2024 is due to the lifting of the memorandum cuts from the salaries of the employees of the state machine, the partial restoration of benefits and the increase of the ATA, which since last summer has been granted at a rate of 66.7%.
Below EU average
It is worth noting that staff remuneration as a percentage of GDP at General Government level, based on 2022 data, amounts to 11.4%, which, according to the competent ministry, is lower than the average of European Union members, which in the corresponding year was 12.4%.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, in three countries the average salary of staff to GDP was more than 12%. These are France and Finland with 12.4% and Belgium with 12.3% of GDP.
At the same time, in five other EU Member States, including Cyprus, the state wage bill to GDP was around 11%, while for another nine countries personnel costs to GDP were around 10% of GDP. In three other countries it ranged between 8% and 9% of GDP. Specifically, the state payroll of GDP in Germany was 8% and 8.2% in the Netherlands, while in Italy personnel costs correspond to 9.6% of GDP.
705 finally the new posts for 2024
Meanwhile, the subject of controversy between DISY and the Government was the increased number of posts included in the 2024 state budget. According to the data of the Ministry of Finance that was forwarded to Parliament at the request of the members of the parliamentary Committee on Finance, next year the creation of a total of 920 additional positions is promoted and 215 are eliminated, which implies a total increase of 705 positions for next year, compared to 2023. It is clarified that out of the 705 positions, 604 positions are in the field of education, where it has been shown that the increasing employment of temporary teachers in schools in recent years negatively affects the implementation of educational policies as well as the proper functioning of school units.
For the Ministry of Finance, it is necessary to create permanent posts in order to reduce the number of temporary contract teaching staff and not to increase overall employment in the public sector.
In which areas
The final total increase in posts for 2024 compared to 2023, excluding 604 permanent teacher posts against termination of services of an equal number of contract teachers, amounts to 101 additional positions.
Of these, a large number concern the Asylum Service (32 positions) to strengthen the management of increased migratory flows, 50 to the Department of Prisons due to the imminent increase in prison capacity, 15 to the Department of Civil Aviation, 5 to strengthen the staffing of the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection and 4 to strengthen the staffing of the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights.
The number of temporary workers is increasing every year
Regarding the employment of fixed-term employees, the number that various ministries, deputy ministries and independent services will be able to hire to meet their service needs in 2024 is increased by 59 people, compared to those of 2023.
The total number of temporary staff in the Public Service at the end of September 2023 amounted to 8,935 persons, compared to 8,321 at the end of 2022 and 7,838 at the end of 2021.
Nevertheless, the official government position favours reducing the number of emergencies used to meet permanent needs.
Filling vacancies is slow
From 2013 to 2018, a total of 3,307 first appointment and promotion positions were filled, after they were de-frozen by the members of the parliamentary Committee on Finance and filled by the Public Service Committee.
After all, between 2022 and 2023 the number of corresponding positions was 1,242. According to data from the National Public Health Service, 659 first appointment positions were filled in 2022, while 583 positions have been filled to date.
However, positions are being filled very slowly, although they may be de-frozen up to a year and a half ago. The average time taken to fill vacancies in scale A2, A5 and A7 and in scales A5, A7 and A8 for which an oral interview is not required is 1.19 years, while for posts in scale A8, A10 and A11 and scale A9, A11 and A12 for which an interview is required is 1.34 years and 2.66 years. In the last two years, 2,259 permanent employees retired from the State due to their age.
