The number of bureaucrats occupying senior executive positions within the Government has slightly decreased following office mergers and restructuring.

As of June 2020 a total of 462 senior executive positions were recorded compared to the 468 documented in the last annual report for the FY2018/2019.

The slight decrease in the number of senior executive positions within the bureaucracy came as a result of the separation of the Office of the Electoral Commission from the Public Service Commission as well as the abolishing of nine positions under the now defunct National Health Service.

Details of the impact of the office mergers and restructuring were highlighted in the P.S.C. annual report for the 2019-2020 financial year.

“Furthermore within the span of FY2019/2020 six new positions were established under Ministries such as the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, Samoa Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration,” stated the annual report.

“The establishment of these new positions was a result of Government direction through additional functions added to specific ministries and to assist ministries in executing their functions.”

The drop in the number of senior executive highlighted in previous annual reports and the FY2019/2020 was more acute in the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, especially positions such as principals and vice principals of the secondary and primary level as well as school support advisors (or school inspectors) which made up 54.7 per cent of senior executives.

According to the annual report, the second level of senior executives comprise chief executive officers and assistant chief executive officers with the inclusion of other contract positions such as consultants, managers, team leaders and specialists which make up 40.4 per cent of the senior executives with a total of 192 positions.

“The remaining 3.6 per cent of the senior executives level is made up of 17 C.E.O. positions with the exclusion of P.S.C. being managed by the Chairman of the Commission instead of a chief executive officer,” stated the annual report. 

“Furthermore, at the conclusion of the FY2019/2020 seventeen vacant positions comprising one C.E.O. position for the Office of the Regulator were identified as a notable decrease from the 25 vacant positions recorded in the previous annual report.”