Large leap in Irish public sector pensioner numbers

Ireland’s Department of Finance has published the 2011 Revised Estimates Volume which complements the details contained in the 2011 Budget. The following is a summary of the Estimates for this year:

Gross Estimates
(including expenditure from the Social Insurance Fund and the National Training Fund)

	2010	2011	Change %
Current Expenditure	54,266,425	52,826,910	-2.7%
Capital Expenditure	6,269,216	4,676,500	-25.4%
TOTAL	€60,535,641	€57,503,410	-5%

Net Estimates

	2010	2011	Change %
Current Expenditure	40,600,479	41,710,547	2.7%
Capital Expenditure	5,918,136	4,341,072	-26.6%
TOTAL	€46,518,615	€46,051,619	-1%

Significant Changes from 2007 to 2011

• Gross National Product decline by 20.2% from 2007 to 2011
  
• Gross Current Expenditure as a % of GNP to rise from 30% in 2007 to 41% in 2011
  
• Gross Current Expenditure to increase by 8.3% from €48,798 million in 2007 to €52,826 million in 2011
  
• Gross Current Expenditure as a % of GNP to rise from 30% in 2007 to 41% in 2011
  
• The number of public service pensioners to rise from 86,780 in 2007 to 124,090 in 2011, + 43%
  
• Gross Voted Capital Expenditure to drop by 43% from €8,143 million in 2007 to €4,676 million in 2011
  
• Public service employment to rise from 271,858 in 2007 to 302,140 in 2011 (+30,282 / +11.1%)
  
• The ratio of public sector staff to public sector pensioners will have increased from 32% in 2007 to 41% in 2011.