Staff Shortages Fuelling Billion-Dollar Public Pay Bill

Overtime for New South Wales (NSW) public-sector workers has snowballed, adding billions to the state’s pay bill and increasing the risk of job-related injuries and burnout. Widespread staff shortages in a series of key agencies has been helping to drive the rapid rise in extra hours among workers over the past three years, according to a NSW audit office report. Between July 2020 and mid-2023, overtime expenses for staff in the bulk of the state’s public workforce blew out by 40 percent—compared to a rise of 16 percent in overall salaries and wages. One trainee junior medical officer worked more than double their standard hours in the 2022/23 financial year for a total of 2156 hours of overtime, the report said....