He asked Policy & Resources several questions about civil service pay, including if there was any move to replace retiring staff with automated systems, that could include AI.
P&R said that this issue would be judged on a case-by-case basis but all vacancies were candidates for replacement by automation, including AI.
‘There is continuing work across the organisation to develop digital solutions that will further increase efficiency,’ it said.
In answer to a question about the number of staff retiring, P&R estimated that 106 would reach their normal retirement date this year and 60 in 2027. But the committee pointed out that someone could opt to retire voluntarily at an earlier or later date.
All vacancies created would be considered in terms of the need for replacement. Replacing would not be automatic, the committee said.
‘Any decision relating to closure or non-replacement is managed at the service area level,’ said P&R.
Deputy Curgenven also wanted to know what happened in a situation where a civil servant was moved to a job that attracted a lower salary than their previous role.
He was told that if a staff member was redeployed into a lower-paid role, their salary would be reduced over a three-year period.
‘The phase-down aims to provide support to employees who transition to lower graded redeployed roles as an alternative to redundancy.’
If the staff member had chosen to downgrade there would be no impact on their salary. The deputy also asked if P&R’s policy in the coming years was for growth, maintenance or reduction of the civil service. This committee said this would be based on service requirements aligned to the mandates of the principal committees and the Government Work Plan.
But the States’ decision to reduce baseline spending by 1% a year for the next three years was likely to have an impact on the number of staff employed.
Increases in demand for services in some areas, particularly health, would put upward pressure on staffing requirements. So, the committee said, ‘reductions in staffing numbers will need to be considered in the context of rising demand for increased staffing’.
‘The responses from P&R are somewhat ambiguous and, in my view, raise more questions than they answer,’ said Deputy Curgenven.
‘Of particular concern is the apparent lack of any political will to reduce overall costs by freezing, reducing or replacing, with AI or similar technological advancements, the number of non-frontline civil servants. Given that government is already top heavy – staff costs are its largest single expense – this seems an obvious area that should be examined for savings.’
You need to be logged in to comment.