Stormont’s pledge to rebalance the economy to build long-term prosperity, “has become an empty joke”, according to NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Bill McKendry.
“In the UK over one million new private sector jobs have been created and in Great Britain workers have been moving from the civil service into sustainable private sector jobs”, Bill explained. “Here in Northern Ireland local ministers have talked a lot and delivered nothing.”
Mr McKendry made his comments after new figures in the Quarterly Employment Survey revealed that Northern Ireland civil service numbers have barely changed in recent years. In fact, the number of public sector jobs has risen in the last quarter.
“There were 211,840 public sector workers in the equivalent survey in 2011 and now there are 212,210. The statistics prove the Executive has not rebalanced the economy one iota, it has no economic vision and has prioritised protecting public sector jobs, which will not prove sustainable, over growing the private sector, which is the only way to bring lasting prosperity to Northern Ireland.”
Mr McKendry pointed out that, in contrast, in Great Britain, civil service employment has fallen year on year since 2010. In March 2013, the number of civil servants in the UK was 448, 835, nearly 79,000 fewer than in 2010. This comprises a fall of 17% which forms part of the Conservatives’ long term economic plan which has resulted in a rapidly growing private sector.
“Compare the latest figures to the Executive’s neglect of the construction sector in Northern Ireland, which has seen employment fall by nearly 16,000 over the last six years. That’s 34% down, or, to put it another way, one in three of those employed in construction has lost their job. Most notably, the number of self-employed people in the construction sector has dropped by 10,000 since 2008. In short the Executive has overseen the protection of the public sector at the expense of the private sector, which is a sure sign that it lacks the long-term vision to deliver for Northern Ireland”.