The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released freedom of information (FOI) documents today that show sick time usage by provincial bureaucrats in Saskatchewan is down from 2009-10 levels, but still appears to be higher than the provincial average.
FOI documents obtained by the CTF show government employee sick leave usage in 2011-12 came in at 9.5 days per provincial government employee; down from 10.4 days in 2009-10. However, Statistics Canada data shows the Sask government’s sick time usage is typically higher than the provincial average.
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
Provincial Government Sick Days/Employee | 10.0 | 10.4 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
Total Cost (Province of SK) | $30,840,081 | $33,269,226 | $32,172,739 | $31,270,649 |
8.1 | 8.2 | 7.6 | NA |
“It’s good to see the numbers are heading in the right direction, but provincial employees still use seem to use about 27 per cent more sick time than the provincial average,” said CTF Prairie Director Colin Craig. “Clearly, the CTF shining the light on this issue is starting to work.”
The CTF applauded employees in the Office of the Provincial Capital Commission and Office of the Provincial Secretary for using just 2.9 and 5.3 sick days on average respectively.
Ministry | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
Advanced EDU, Employment and Labour | 9.8 | 10 | 8.8 | 8.1 |
Agriculture | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
Corrections, Public Safety and Policing | 13.7 | 14 | 11.9 | 11.6 |
Education | 8.7 | 8 | 7.7 | 8.9 |
Energy and Resources | 8.6 | 9.6 | 10.5 | 8 |
Environment | 8.1 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
Executive Council | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 5.6 |
Finance | 8.6 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 8.2 |
First Nations and Metis Relations | 9.5 | 12.2 | 12.1 | 9.5 |
Government Services | 10.4 | 10 | 9.9 | 10.2 |
Health | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 9.1 |
Highways and Infrastructure | 9.8 | 10.7 | 10.5 | 9.8 |
Information Technology Office | 8.5 | 10.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 |
Intergovernmental Affairs | 10.8 | 5.6 | - | - |
Justice and Attorney General | 9 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 8.7 |
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety | - | - | - | 7.1 |
Municipal Affairs | 9.6 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 6.5 |
Office of the Provincial Capital Commission | - | - | 3.5 | 2.9 |
Office of the Provincial Secretary | 6.6 | 7.9 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
Public Service Commission | 7.9 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.4 |
Social Services | 10.9 | 11.2 | 11 | 10 |
Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport | 6.8 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
Note: Some numbers unavailable due to Ministries changing portfolios during the period
“If the government could get sick time down to the provincial average, it could save taxpayers millions,” added Craig.
To view the FOI responses:
2008-09 – Click Here
2009-10 – Click Here
2010-11 – Click Here
2011-12 – Click Here
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