Governments must plan to hold line on public sector employment

With Jackson Doughart

Employment by the provincial government and municipalities is significant on Prince Edward Island, comprising nearly a fifth of all jobs. But unlike work in the private sector or the federal government, compensating this labour requires that wealth be taken from the local economy.

Islanders should care about keeping expenses within reasonable bounds, including government employment. In Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, public sectors have grown considerably. Without active checks, correcting oversized government in the future will be difficult for P.E.I.

Last week, AIMS released a report on the size and cost of public sectors in Atlantic Canada. We found that all Atlantic provinces, save New Brunswick, employ more people than the national average on a per capita basis.

For every 1,000 Islanders there are 93 sub-national employees, which includes the provincial government and the municipalities. It is important to mention the municipalities because of their personnel grow…