Employers and economists have sounded the alarm on the increase in public-sector workers during the past year and have called for restraint in recruitment.

The number of new employees recruited by the government rose by nearly 1,900 since the Labour Party’s election in March 2013, according to recently-released figures.

Despite repeated questions from this newspaper, the Finance Ministry has not provided the figure of the estimated increase in the public wage bill.

Based on a conservative annual wage of less than €11,000 a year, Times of Malta calculated it would amount to a minimum of €20 million a year.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna insisted there is no upward trend in public sector employment, but a relative marginal reduction, basing his declaration on the percentage of the labour force which grew substantially since 2008. But the Malta Employers’ Association said it is alarmed and cannot understand the need for this massive increase in government employees.

“During the last years, efforts have been made to decrease the size of the public service and we have been somehow successful,” MEA director general Joe Farrugia said.

“It seems this is now being reversed and it’s not a good idea. We have to see how we are going to finance these new salaries and analyse what the country is getting out of them,” he said.

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