Dec 2008 31

Annual Non Job Report 200812

New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance details the extent of the costly divide that is opening up between public and private sectors, and reveals the Top Ten Non Jobs of 2008. With the onset of an economic downturn, spending is being cut back and jobs are being lost. But there are signs that the public sector is not tightening its belt in order to deal with these more difficult times. Public sector staff are paid more than their equivalents in the private sector, public sector employment is rising and there is continued creation of non-jobs. The full report can be found here (PDF).
 
Key Findings 
  • Average pay in 2008 was £21,413 in the public sector against £20,715 in the private sector. Pay in the public sector was therefore 3.4 per cent higher.

  • Since 2000, pay in the public sector has grown by 37.1 per cent whereas pay in the private sector has grown by 30.5 per cent.
  • In the third quarter of 2008, public sector employment increased by 14,000 whereas private sector employment decreased by 128,000.
  • Public sector staff take more time off work sick. The average public sector worker took nine days off, against less than six days in the private sector.
  • Public sector organisations are still recruiting for a large number of jobs of dubious value, these are non-jobs. The report includes the TaxPayers' Alliance's Top Ten Non Jobs of 2008, which are:



    - Street Football Coordinator: Moray Council, Salary: £19,887

    - European Programme Policy Officer: Advantage West Midlands, Salary: £29,687 – £37,109
    - Community Space Challenger Co-ordinator: Southwark Council, Salary: £28,494 – £33,777
    - Head of Communities and Partnership: Charnwood Borough Council, Salary: £34,991 – £37,543
    - Enviro-Crime Enforcement Officer: Lambeth Council, Salary: £29,241 – £30,774
    - Equality and Diversity Manager: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust, Salary: £29,091 – £38,352
    - Communications and Strategy Manager: Allerdale Borough Council, Salary: £34,991 – £37,543
    - Public Affairs Manager: East of England Development Agency, Salary: £40,304 – £45,189
    - Head of Participation and Inclusion: Hertfordshire County Council, Salary: £38,729 – £42,197

    - Climate Change Manager: Braintree Council, Salary: £34,542 – £38,556


    Full details of each of the Top Ten Non-Jobs, along with scanned job adverts, are included in the full report, which can be found here. High resolution copies of the job adverts are also available on request.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"In times of economic hardship it is vitally important that the public sector tightens its belt, just as families are having to. With the public finances in such a mess, taxpayers' can't afford for quangos and councils to splash out on 'non-jobs' that would be an indulgence even in the economic good times."

 

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  • Peter Jones

    Another piece of half-baked ‘research’ by the TA. Fortunately the traditional news media is becoming as irrelevant as the TA for a source of believable news, so no-one takes a blind bit of notice. Therefore, as holders of non-jobs, those at the TA who trot out this trite and boring nonsense must surely be near the top of the list.

  • Tim W

    Yet another pointless ‘comment’ from Peter Jones. Fortunately PJ’s non-commentary is about as relevant as the work of a Street Football Co-ordinator, so I can’t imagine anyone takes a blind bit of notice.
    On a more serious point, Pete, you have failed to notice the difference between those listed as ‘non-job’ state employees and those working at the Taxpayers’ Alliance. The TA researchers are paid for by the donations of those who think their research (in this case, a compilation of this year’s most pointless state-sector jobs – half-baked or factual? Evidently the latter) is worthwhile, whereas we are all forced to pay for these pathetic and useless ‘non-jobs’ – and if we refuse, we go to jail. Is letting taxpayers know where their hard-earned cash actually goes really ‘trite and boring’?

  • Joannie “Nan” Taylor

    What a load of old shit!

  • O. Cromwell

    Are you going to commission research into the fact that the Royal Family cost the tax payer £40 million last year? Prince Charles must have the best non-job there is!!

  • K Lidington

    O Cromwells ideas were tried out, and failed spectacularly, a long time ago. He presumably supports a presidential alternative, like Bush, Nixon, Mugabe, Castro, Putin, Mitterand, and so on. They were no cheaper, just more damaging.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p010536a88192970b Dave J

    Its further proof that the wishy washy arse coverers in the town hall need to get real. They should now be ensuring their community charge is as low as it can be for all those in the private sector who may be in an out of work for the next 3-4 years and still trying to meet the mortgage payments that have not reduced despite the significant drop in the BLR. Be careful at the town hall you may find yourselves out of power at eh next local election!

  • James G

    It’s disappointing how purile this site is. If you don’t like what councils do, get elected and do something about it.
    Or do you have a problem with democracy?
    “whereas we are all forced to pay for these pathetic and useless ‘non-jobs’ – and if we refuse, we go to jail.” We pay for what we elect. We’ve elected – live with it.
    “Is letting taxpayers know where their hard-earned cash actually goes really ‘trite and boring’?” – Not sure about trite, but this site sure is boring.

  • Antony Quinn

    The TA are clearly a bunch of idiots – you can be damn sure that the same people complaining about an enviro-crime enforcement officer are the same petty minded people who complain about graffitti and litter etc that the enforcement officer is spending his/her time trying to prevent!

  • Call me Dave

    Keep up the good work peeps. There will always be individuals with a public sector mindset desperate to maintain the status quo. Their comments merely demonstrate their supreme ignorance of the issues or worse, underline their two fingers up to the tax payer attitude.

  • Louise Slade

    It’s not just stupid non-jobs that are a waste of taxpayers’ money. What about this – £90k per year local government senior solicitors can now work from home 3 days per week to apparently save rent on office space. Presumably their secretaries and junior staff who need to be supervised/delegated to/managed by the so-called senior solicitor are twiddling their thumbs – more wasted money on nothing-to-do-all-day jobs because the boss is at home. You can also imagine the potential for confidentiality breaches (wife/children having a little nosey at documents/computer etc) Couldn’t possibly happen in the private sector.

  • Richard Honey

    Oh Tim.. you really are a total prat. If only your research were better informed I might be able to forgive the prattishness.