Government employment, revenue, and expenditure – international comparisons
Produced by the
Statistics Jersey (Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance)
Authored by
Statistics Jersey
and published on
13 Mar 2024
Prepared internally, no external cost
Summary
This report pulls together already published information from Statistics Jersey, Government of Jersey departments, and international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU), to paint a picture of the Government of Jersey compared to our neighbours and international comparators.
The report covers the size of Government of Jersey employment and how that has changed over time, both in absolute numbers and as a proportion of the total workforce (which is the relevant indicator for international comparisons). It also provides international comparisons of taxation (and other revenues); expenditure on the different functions of government; and the fiscal balance of income vs expenditure.
Summary
Employment and jobs:
- The proportion of employees working for Government of Jersey has been stable for 50 years.
- The proportion of employment in the public sector is lower than comparable small jurisdictions, the UK, France, and the OECD average.
- Taking account of both public and private sector employment, Jersey’s proportion of employment in ‘Public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities’ is essentially the same as the EU average.
Taxation and other revenue:
- Jersey’s tax revenue as a proportion of GDP was lower than most OECD jurisdictions.
- Jersey received a larger proportion of tax revenue from income than most OECD jurisdictions, and a smaller proportion of tax revenue from goods and services than all OECD jurisdictions.
Expenditure:
- Government expenditure as a proportion of GDP is about half the EU average for each of Jersey, Guernsey, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, all of which have high GDP per capita.
- Jersey spends a lower proportion than comparator jurisdictions on defence, and more on education and health.
Balance of income and expenditure
- Government income minus government expenditure was +0.6% of GDP, indicating a surplus, in contrast to most jurisdictions that run deficits (expenditure higher than income).
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