National Statistics Office data pointed to further increases in public sector employment, finance shadow minister Mario de Marco said.
He noted that the number of persons employed in the public sector in September increased by 300. The public sector head count that month stood at 44,361 - an increase of 2,471 when compared to September 2013. Public sector employment between 2012 and September 2014 increased by 3,468 (8.4 per cent).
The increase, Dr de Marco said, was pushing up government expenditure. The public sector wage bill according to the government’s own estimate was set to increase by €57 million between 2013 and 2015, a nine per cent increase which had to be funded out of additional taxes.
The actual number of people employed by the public sector during the past 20 months was significantly higher than 3,468 since by government's own calculations, around 1,500 people left or retired from the public service every year.
Prior to 2013, the number of public sector employees was constantly on the decline with new jobs being created mainly by the private sector, he said.
Dr de Marco expressed concern at the rate of growth of part-time employment as a primary job or as a full-time job, a trend, which did not bode well for economic sustainability.
While welcoming initiatives to push down unemployment and to increase the number of gainfully employed, the Opposition queried the sustainability of government's policy to keep on increasing public sector employment, he said.
Dr de Marco said the Opposition acknowledged that certain areas within the public sector could benefit from additional human resources. However, it was clear that the government was not limiting itself to recruiting in these areas.
The story of a full-time driver appointed part-time chairman, he said, was symptomatic of how the government was treating employment in the public sector.
"The Opposition is rightfully querying whether the Ministry of Finance is keeping tab of public sector employment and its consequential incremental cost to the tax payer.
"The Ministry of Finance cannot abdicate from its role to keep public sector employment and expenditure under control," he said.