I always find it interesting to stumble on statistics that are not usually readily available like growth in government payroll and the size of government in relationship to the size of the governed. You can tell a lot about a country by looking at these kinds of numbers.
Excerpts from LA Presna Tuesday:
Even as it has asked a number of departments to cut expenditures, the state increased its payroll by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to the same period last year.
Those costs went from $117.4 million in the first quarter of 2008 to $130.1 million in the first quarter of 2009, according to the latest report of the Comptroller.
Not surprisingly, the number of staff members also increased, from 160,775 employees in the first quarter of 2008 to 164,742 in the same period of 2009, an increase of 2.5 percent.
The total salaries do not include special allowances, 13th month payments or overtime. The roster of government employees also excludes those who work for the Panama Canal Authority, firefighters, municipal employees and those on short-term, professional contracts.
According to the report of the first quarter of 2009, 67 percent of the employees served in the areas of education, public health and safety. These employees accounted for 70 percent of the salaries.
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