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B.C. government takes heat over marked growth in public payroll
B.C.'s NDP government is defending itself in the wake of new reports detailing the dramatic increase in public sector employees and the cost of payroll.
The province is in the midst of a staffing shortage across key public sectors – currently short more than 1,000 teachers and six times as many nurses.
But while critical positions go unfilled, the size of the public sector continues to grow, with British Columbia leading the country in the growth of taxpayer-funded jobs.
'It's gone from $5 billion worth of people (earning) over $75,000 to now $11.5 billion, so it's more than doubled,' BC Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar said.
'This government has a real problem when it comes to hiring, reining in costs and bringing things under control, and that leads to our structural deficit of over $12 billion.'
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B.C. database shows public sector salaries
Critics say the size of government has increased across the board under the NDP's watch.
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In 2017, there were just over 29,000 public servants. That number has increased to nearly 39,000, jumping 32 per cent over eight years.
While the public sector is growing, private sector job growth is half of its historical average.
The B.C. General Employees Union acknowledges the unionized workforce has grown, but says the real issue is the growth of non-union positions, and that management has increased at a pace nearly double that of union members.
It's a claim that is echoed in health care, where the B.C. Nurses' Union says health authorities are top-heavy.
'Anecdotally, that's how it appears,' BCNU president Adrianne Gear said. 'From my members' perspective, it does seem like there is a lot of senior management leadership.
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'At any given time, we are almost 6,000 nurses short, that's how many vacancies we have, and when we move to full implementation of nurse-patient ratios … we are going to need many, many more nurses.'
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How much could a new B.C. public sector contract cost taxpayers?
The B.C. government has committed to hiring more front-line workers in health care, education and other critical occupations. But competition worldwide is intense.
B.C. Premier David Eby said much of the growth is related to tackling that competition.
'They are doctors, they are nurses, they are teachers, they are people who provide vital services in our province. It is why we are leading Canada in recruiting family doctors and why we are on track to ensuring every British Columbian gets access to a family doctor. Ensuring we are competitive in wages for those doctors, ensuring we are competitive in wages for nurses, that we are the best place for a nurse to work in Canada,' Eby said.
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'It is how we are getting a handle on the big challenges we've faced in terms of closures at hospitals or shortages of nurses that are raising concerns among the profession here.'
However, he admitted he was 'very concerned' about the growth in health care administration costs. He said the province is currently doing an 'extensive review' of B.C. health authorities to minimize those administrative costs.
A renewed focus on B.C. resource economy, meanwhile, could bring an increase in private sector job creation.
The business community is optimistic that the government is sending the right signals, but says it is waiting for the needed follow-through.
