Senior Reporter
The Auditor General’s latest report has highlighted the State’s continued reliance on contract and short-term employment alongside shortcomings in policy and compliance, pointing out that Government spent more than $1.79 billion on temporary staffing arrangements across the public service in 2025.
The report shows $1.414 billion was spent on contract employment, while a further $374.8 million was expended on short-term employment, bringing total spending on temporary staffing mechanisms to approximately $1.79 billion for the financial year.
Contract employment, as defined in the Estimates of Expenditure, is intended for cases where there is an urgent need for staff, where work is tied to projects of limited duration, or where specialised skills are unavailable within the established public service.
It also covers Cabinet-approved contracts for monthly-paid officers engaged for at least one year under conditions set by the Chief Personnel Officer.
However, the Auditor General noted that some positions have been contracted out for years, suggesting long-term reliance on what is designed to be a temporary staffing arrangement. Total spending in this category rose by two per cent compared to the previous year.
Alongside this, the report highlighted weaknesses in a major reform effort intended to review and rationalise public service posts.
A Civil Service Job Evaluation exercise, contracted to PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2020 with a planned two-year timeline, was reported to be 75 per cent complete at the end of the financial year.
Expenditure stood at $35.48 million, while key deliverables, including a Compensation Survey Report submitted in September 2024, were rejected by the Personnel Department.
The Auditor General also pointed to disputes between the Personnel Department and the contractor over cost overruns, scope of work and contract interpretation, with both parties seeking legal clarification.
In a separate finding, the report highlighted concerns over short-term employment, defined as work not exceeding six months, in Government departments and agencies.
Spending in this category rose by seven per cent, increasing from $350 million to $374.8 million.
While authority for short-term hiring rests with accounting officers, the Auditor General found an absence of documented policy across ministries and departments governing recruitment under these arrangements. The report further noted multiple instances where employment terms exceeded six months, contrary to the definition of short-term work.
“Additionally, there were many instances of persons’ terms of employment exceeding six months. As previously reported, this is contrary to good industrial relations practices and exposes the Government to liability,” the report stated.
At the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, an examination of records revealed that for a number of years, six people were employed for an initial six-month period, followed by subsequent six-month periods—a practice that has been going on for years.
High levels of expenditure were recorded across several major ministries and agencies, including the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Elections and Boundaries Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Works and Transport, and the Tobago House of Assembly.
