The PSA is concerned about the impact on workloads and service delivery of the government cutting close to 1500 jobs from the public service last year under its job cap policy.

State Services Minister Tony Ryall has today announced that 1480 jobs were cut from 36 government departments and five crown entities last year under the policy of capping jobs in the 'core government administration.'

Of the 1480 jobs axed by the government last year, 809 public service workers were made redundant, 565 vacant jobs were cut and 106 staff that left were not replaced.

"The government's capping policy is farce," says PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott "The government has been cutting not capping jobs at a time when unemployment rose to a 10 year high."

At the end of last year the number of people unemployed had risen to 168,000 - 7.3% of the workforce - the highest level in 10 years.

"With unemployment soaring the government has been actively increasing the number of jobless New Zealanders," says Brenda Pilott. "On top of the jobs the government says it cut last year our monitoring shows that a further 1000 jobs were axed in the wider state sector," says Brenda Pilott. The PSA public sector jobs watch shows on top of the 1437 the government cut at government departments, a further 1000 jobs were cut at district health boards, crown agencies - such as ACC - state owned enterprises - such as NZ Post - and crown owned companies - such as TVNZ.

"The government claims its moving workers from the backroom to the front line in the public service but its own figures show the reverse is happening," says Brenda Pilott.

"There were 52 jobs cut at Child, Youth and Family a department the government defined as front line and excluded from its capping policy."

"Treasury got 20 new staff, despite being part of the jobs cap and being the most backroom department in the public service."

"How can the government justify cutting 104 jobs at DOC when its' staff are in the front-line of the tourism industry running our national parks and conservation estate?"

"The government has defined frontline workers like DOC rangers, quarantine inspectors preventing diseases and pests from entering the country and fisheries officers protecting our fishing stocks as backroom then cut their jobs. That makes no sense."

"Having fewer public sector staff increases the workload for those who remain. We're concerned about the impact this will have on delivering services to the public," says Brenda Pilott.

"Workloads are clearly rising because as well as jobs and staff being cut, jobs are not being filled in the public sector." "For instance the government figures show there are 101 vacant jobs at Customs and yet Customs has no vacancies listed on the government jobs website," says Brenda Pilott. The Ministry of Fisheries has 39 vacancies and no jobs listed on NZ Government Jobs Online. The Ministry of Justice has 169 vacancies and 25 jobs listed. The Department of Labour has 141 vacancies and 11 jobs listed. Housing NZ has 127 vacancies and 5 jobs listed.