Where graduate roles have increased, and decreased, in the public service

Friday, 20 December 2024

Graduate roles across the public service have declined 14% in the last year - dropping by more than 50 roles compared with 2023, the Green Party says.

Green Party public service spokesperson Francisco Hernandez asked every minister how many graduate positions there was in their responsible ministries between November 2022-2023, compared with November 2023-2024.

There was about 400.5 roles in the 2023 year, dropping to 344 in the 2024 year.

The decrease of 56.5 represented a drop of 14%.

The Ministry of Primary Industries had 14 in 2023, and none in 2024. The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) had 66 in 2023, and 44 in 2024 - a drop of 22.

The Ministry of Social Development dropped by six - from 35 to 29.

The Reserve Bank increased its grad roles, up 10, to 40 in 2024, and Inland Revenue also increased by 10 roles.

Hernandez said graduate programmes created “in-house capacity in the public service and provide opportunities for graduates to develop skills and contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand”.

Nicola Willis said it was possible there were more graduate roles than initially perceived.

“We need to be investing in jobs and futures for young people, not cutting pathways for them.”

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis said she was advised there was no standard format for job titles across the public service, “so there may be roles that are filled by people who have recently graduated (or who are new to the workforce) may not have graduate in the job title”.

Earlier this year, at least 20 graduates at MBIE were told their jobs were ending early as of July. Some started only in February.

On Tuesday, Willis signalled more job cuts could be on the table, outlining a targeted savings programme lies ahead.

Willis confirmed there would be a programme of targeted savings. “We have not made decisions on those yet. We have asked ministers to put forward options, and we are actively engaged in that budget process.

Willis was confident there were “still more savings to be found, and that we can deliver them in a way that accords with the principles I've set out”.

There was also a spending cap on “the vast majority of government departments, excluding important ones, such as health, education, the police”.