Catalonia has 41 civil servants per 1,000 inhabitants while the Spanish average is 57

Barcelona (ACN).- The number of public employees in Catalonia has been reduced by 4.76% over the last year, while in the whole of Spain the reduction was 3.97%, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Catalan SME association PIMEC with data from the Spanish Finance Ministry. Furthermore, the number of civil servants in Catalonia is significantly lower than the Spanish average. In January 2013, there were 40.7 civil servants for every 1,000 inhabitants in Catalonia, while the Spanish average was 57.4 and it was as high as 79.6 in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. The figures show that only 11.1% of the total workers in Catalonia work in the public sector, while the Spanish average is 16.4% and in Extremadura the figure represents 26.7%. PIMEC states in its report that, if Catalonia had the same proportion of public employees as the Spanish average, the current Catalan unemployment rate would drop from 24.5% to 20.5%, with 150,000 fewer jobseekers.

According to PIMEC’s report ‘Empleats públics a Espanya i Catalunya 2007-2013’, Catalonia has significantly fewer public employees than the Spanish average, despite an actual increase during the period analysed. In January 2007, there were 277,549 public employees in Catalonia. The figure increased in the following years, since there was a lack of pubic employees after the large population increase from the early 2000s. Many public employees were hired, particularly doctors, nurses, school teachers and police officers. By January 2013, there were 306,976 public employees in Catalonia, a figure which represents a 10.6% increase compared to six years ago. However, the staff increase happened only between 2007 and 2010, since then the first austerity measures were adopted due to the economic crisis. Between 2010 and 2012, the number of public employees stagnated and from 2012 the amount of public workers was reduced by 4.76%, a decrease of 15,400.

The number of public employees is starting to reduce

Looking at figures from the whole of Spain, the number of public employees also increased between 2007 and 2013, but only by 1.58%. The number of public employees grew between 2007 and 2011, a year after the stabilisation in the number of Catalonia’s public workers. Then, the total number of public employees in Spain was reduced by 3.97% in 2012. In January 2007 there were 2,512,038 public employees in Spain, while 6 years later there were 2.576.746, an increase of 64,708 people.

11.1% of public employees in Catalonia, while 16.4% in the whole of Spain

Therefore, the increase of public employees was higher in Catalonia, but its number reduction was also sharper. In any case, the Spanish average of civil servants per 1,000 inhabitants is significantly higher than the Catalan. In the whole of Spain there are 57.4 civil servants for every 1,000 citizens. In Catalonia the ratio drops to 40.7. Furthermore, in Catalonia 11.1% of all the people with a job work in the public sector. The figure at Spanish level rises to 16.4%. This means that for every 2 public employees in Catalonia, in the whole of Spain there are 3 of them. In addition, in some areas of Spain, such as Extremadura, the figure represents 26.7%.

If Catalonia had the same ratio of public workers than the rest of Spain, unemployment would drop from 24.5% to 20.5%

PIMEC’s study underlines that if Catalonia had the same ratio of public employees as the Spanish average, instead of 307,000, there would be 455,000 public workers. This represents a difference of 155,000 more public sector positions, which would have a strong effect on the Catalan unemployment rate, passing from the current 24.5% to 20.5%. In addition, if Spain had the same ratio of public employees as Catalonia, instead of the current 2,270,000 public workers, there would be 1,553,000 positions in the public sector. This would also have an effect on the Spanish unemployment rate, making it grow from the current 27.7% to 31.5%.