The ranks of highly-paid Isle of Man Government staff have swollen in recent years, with unprecedented numbers of Manx Fat Cats – despite the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
A new analysis by the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance of Isle of Man Government accounts reveal that the total1 number of Government staff earning over £50,000 increased from 895 staff in the 2014-15 financial year to 1,551 staff in the latest, 2020-21 financial year, a total increase of over 73% extra highly paid Government staff. This includes an increase of 115 extra Government staff earning over £50,000 in the the 2020-21 financial year, while many private sector workers were suffering unemployment and reduced wages during multiple lockdowns.
While the number of highly paid Government staff increased massively from 2015 to 2021, during the same period, median weekly earnings for all full-time employees (both private and public sector) in the Isle of Man only increased 14%2. The latest Isle of Man Earnings Survey3 revealed that the median gross weekly pay of all full-time employees (including both Government and non-Government employees) was £611, equivalent to approximately £31,859 annually.
Pension payments are extra
According to the Isle of Man Government accounts, the figures reported here “include gross pay amounts as remuneration (including compensation payments made in connection with their employment) but exclude employers’ contributions (for example, employers’ pension contributions), settlement payments, and compromise agreements”. In addition to the gross pay reported here, the Isle of Man Government offers a “rewarding pension scheme” to staff. The Isle of Man Government pension scheme, which offers defined benefits to recipients, is worth many thousands of pounds extra in value to staff.
Biggest Earners Swell
The Isle of Man Government financial records show that at the end of the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 financial years, there was just one staff member with a remuneration of over £300,000. However, that has increased to 6 staff earning over £300,000 on 31 March 2021, the highest-ever recorded by the Isle of Man Government.
The Isle of Man Chief Minister is paid approximately £87,823 annually, meaning that each of these six staff earned more than 3.4 times the Chief Minister’s salary.
Number of IOM staff earning over £200,000 doubles in five years
The number of government staff earning over £200,000 more than doubled from 2015 to 2021, increasing from 22 to 47. During this period, the number of staff who earned between £200,000 and £299,999 (inclusive) increased from 21 people to 41 people. During the last financial year, when private sector incomes were harmed by the three lockdowns (including the last two caused by errors made by the Isle of Man Government’s Cabinet Office) the number of staff earning over £200,000 increased by 12%, from 42 to 47.
£100k-£200k bracket increases by 36%
The number of Isle of Man Government staff earning between £100,000 and £200,000 increased by more than a third from 2015 to 2021, from 108 such staff on 31 March 2015, to 147 such staff on 31 March 2021. During the triple-lockdown financial year ending 31 March 2021, the number of Government staff earning between £100,000 and £200,000 increased by 7%.
£50,000 – £100,000 pay bracket increases by extra three-quarters
The number of Isle of Man Government staff earning between £50,000 and £100,000 increased by more than three-quarters from 2015 to 2021, from 765 such staff on 31 March 2015, to 1,347 such staff on 31 March 2021. During the triple-lockdown financial year ending 31 March 2021, the number of Government staff earning between £50,000 and £100,000 increased by 8%.