Civil servant jobs to be cut, chief minister says

Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham said the public sector had grown "unacceptably"

Jersey's chief minister has promised to cut the number of civil servants, which he said had grown by more than 2,500 in the last five years.

Deputy Lyndon Farnham told a States meeting that the public sector had grown "unacceptably".

A report from Statistics Jersey found there were 9,450 public sector jobs in December 2023, 1,670 more than in December 2018.

Farnham did not disclose how he planned to reorganise the sector, but he said changes needed to be made.

"The public sector in the last five years has grown by over 2,500," he told States members.

"That's unsustainable, unaffordable, this government will stem that growth and put it back to a size that we need."

In 2024, Farnham said the government was planning to curb the use of consultants and fixed-term contracts with outside companies.