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Ghost' public servants burden Iraqi economy
October 7, 2015
– Most civil servants in the country work only a few minutes a day, but get full-time wages, Iraqi officials say
ANKARA – There are nearly 100,000 public servants in Iraq who do little work but get full pay, representing a significant burden on the economy, Iraqi officials say.
The “ghost-like” civil servants are registered as state employees on payroll, but do not participate in the country’s labor force, Ahmed Haji Rashid, secretary of finance commission in Iraqi parliament, told Anadolu Agency Wednesday.
“At the moment, Iraq has around 100,000 ghost public servants,” Rashid said. “Those people are getting their salaries without doing any work.”
Mazhar Saleh, economic adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said: “Most public servants in the country work around 10 to 17 minutes per day. However, they get full-time wages.”
Rashid added that 75 percent of the existing civil employees — which number around four million — were over the actual need.
“Due to falling oil prices, the central government in Baghdad is having a hard time to meet public servants’ salaries. The total state revenue for 2016 is expected to be around $69 billion, while the government needs $50 billion every year for the payroll of civil servants and retirees,” he explained.
Around 95 percent of Iraq’s revenues are generated by oil sales. Although the country increased its average oil production from 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2014 to over 4 million bpd in 2015, Iraq still faces a financial crisis due to oil prices — which declined 60 percent since mid-2014 — and the fight against Daesh militants.
Prime Minister al-Abadi said on September 14 that his administration was trying to keep expenditure under control, and find a solution for civil servants’ salaries.
Al-Abadi’s recent reforms target lavish spending within the administration, such as trimming half the salaries of government, parliament and presidential officials in order to lower the income gap between other civil servants — a move that has faced strong opposition from Iraqi officials.
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October 7, 2015
– Most civil servants in the country work only a few minutes a day, but get full-time wages, Iraqi officials say
ANKARA – There are nearly 100,000 public servants in Iraq who do little work but get full pay, representing a significant burden on the economy, Iraqi officials say.
The “ghost-like” civil servants are registered as state employees on payroll, but do not participate in the country’s labor force, Ahmed Haji Rashid, secretary of finance commission in Iraqi parliament, told Anadolu Agency Wednesday.
“At the moment, Iraq has around 100,000 ghost public servants,” Rashid said. “Those people are getting their salaries without doing any work.”
Mazhar Saleh, economic adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said: “Most public servants in the country work around 10 to 17 minutes per day. However, they get full-time wages.”
Rashid added that 75 percent of the existing civil employees — which number around four million — were over the actual need.
“Due to falling oil prices, the central government in Baghdad is having a hard time to meet public servants’ salaries. The total state revenue for 2016 is expected to be around $69 billion, while the government needs $50 billion every year for the payroll of civil servants and retirees,” he explained.
Around 95 percent of Iraq’s revenues are generated by oil sales. Although the country increased its average oil production from 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2014 to over 4 million bpd in 2015, Iraq still faces a financial crisis due to oil prices — which declined 60 percent since mid-2014 — and the fight against Daesh militants.
Prime Minister al-Abadi said on September 14 that his administration was trying to keep expenditure under control, and find a solution for civil servants’ salaries.
Al-Abadi’s recent reforms target lavish spending within the administration, such as trimming half the salaries of government, parliament and presidential officials in order to lower the income gap between other civil servants — a move that has faced strong opposition from Iraqi officials.
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