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Public service appointments, small step in right direction

Tuesday, 19 July 2011, 3:38 pm
Press Release: Public Service Association

PSA MEDIA RELEASE
19 July 2011
For Immediate Use

Public service appointments a small step in the right direction

The appointments, today, of two women public service chief executives is a welcome step in addressing the gender imbalance at senior public management level but there is still a long way to go, says the PSA, the country’s biggest union.

“We welcome Lesley Longstone as Secretary for Education and Carolyn Tremain as Comptroller of Customs and wish them well in their new positions. It’s good to see women appointed at the highest level because we need to see the public service more accurately reflect its workforce which is predominantly women,” says Brenda Pilott, PSA National Secretary

“We can only hope that these appointments are the start of an effort to reduce the gender gap at senior level in the public sector. 59% of public service workers are women, yet of the 33 public service departments only four have now women chief executives.”

“It’s evident that New Zealand needs to nurture and promote talent within the public service. Two of our most important departments, Education and Treasury, are now headed by executives from the UK. The recently appointed deputy chief executive of our largest department, the Ministry of Social Development, is also from the UK.”

“While New Zealand will undoubtedly benefit from their overseas experience, we need to provide more professional development for our public servants and that’s especially true if women in the public service are to reach the highest levels.”

“A further task - for all chief executives - is the need to close the gender pay gap in the public service. The public service figures in 2010 showed a 14.4% gender pay gap – more than the national average. In Customs the gender pay gap is 15.1% and in the Ministry of Education the gap is a whopping 30.6% in a department where 81% of the staff are women. These are real challenges for Ms Tremain and Ms Longstone.”

ENDS

 
 
 
 
 
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