Pay and the Public Service Workforce

Article

This report analyses the level of growth in the public sector workforce and levels of public sector pay.

Some of the most important political battles that continue to be fought between the main political parties concern the quality of public spending.

Labour has argued that a combination of fiscal discipline, sound macro-economic management and effective labour market policies has 'cut the costs of failure', leaving more resources available to meet public service priorities.

The Conservative response is partly to claim credit for a sound basis for the public finances, and partly to claim that the new spending on public services is being wasted on recruiting 'bureaucrats' and funding excessive public sector pay awards.

This report aims to get to the bottom of this debate.

Related items

  1. Young male delivery cyclist working part-time, riding through city streets with food backpack on.

    Raising the bar: Strengthening living standards while banning exploitative zero-hours contracts

    Labour’s manifesto committed to banning exploitative zero-hours contracts as part of sweeping upgrades to workers’ rights.
  2. The Bank of England is watched over by a statue of the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse

    Beyond headroom: Why we need a better fiscal framework to fix the UK’s long term problems

    There has been long-standing debate about the UK’s fiscal rules and fiscal framework.  
  3. Drax coal fired power plant in North Yorkshire, UK with coal stack and Biomass storage tanks at sunset

    Financing carbon capture, usage and storage: The case for extended producer responsibility

    The government has run out of road on funding infrastructure through energy bills.