The number employed by government has gone up again.

Figures show that the number of people on the government payroll has risen from 7,890 in 2016 to 8,161 at the end of March this year.

The number has risen steadily over the past five years, reaching 8,016 in 2017, 8,025 in 2018 and then dipping to 7,938 in 2019.

These figures, released by Chief Minister Howard Quayle in response to a Tynwald question from Speaker Juan Watterson, exclude staff in the Post Office and Manx Utilities.

The number of full-time equivalent staff, however, has fallen since 2012, from 7,055 that year to 6,924 currently.