The government’s own quarterly figures are not the best way to determine demographics of the island’s workforce.

That appeared to be the message from Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas as he explained why the figures he gave, on the percentage of island workers who are employed in the public sector, were vastly different from the ones in the Cabinet Office’s quarterly economic update.

In response to a Tynwald question last week, Mr Thomas said that at the time of the last census, in 2016, the percentage of the island’s workforce employed in the public sector was 21%, down 3% on the 2006 ratio.

He added: ’The number of people in full-time-equivalent posts in the public sector has reduced by nearly 600 over the past six years and has reduced by nearly 80 in the most recent financial year too.’

But Mrs Caine, who posed the original question, said the latest quarterly economic report showed ’we have 16,763 people working in the public sector out of a total of just over 52,000, which I think would equate to around 32% of the workforce in the public sector’.

Mr Thomas, who is known to relish data and statistics, said the government’s economic affairs division compiled the quarterly report figures via Job Link data from Treasury’s income tax division.

He added: ’It is not appropriate to use that Job Link data as a reliable means of measuring either the size of the working population or the public sector, or even to make comparisons between the two, as people recorded in Job Link data include those who have left employment but their records are not closed down, and those who are not active in employment but retain employment records.’

Job Link data could include casual workers in certain roles, or people with more than one job, he said.

In March 2016, the Job Link date for public sector employment was 14,096, compared with the census figure, taken the following month, which was 9,144.

’So there was a 5,000 person difference at that time and that is the best guess of what the difference is now,’ the minister said.

In a written answer to a separate question, Mr Thomas revealed the number of full-time equivalent public sector posts in 2018-19 was 7,390, compared with 7,466 in 2017-18, and 7,829 in 2010-11.

The answer also appeared to suggest a slip of the tongue by the minister during the main question time, when he claimed a reduction of nearly 600 in six years. The figure for 2012-13 was 7,470, which is just 80 more than the latest figure.

It is likely Mr Thomas meant to say a reduction of nearly 600 in 10 years. The 2008-9 figure, 10 years ago, was 7,960 - 570 higher.