Selected Problems in the Papua New Guinean Public Service

The public service in Papua New Guinea is the largest employer in the formal sector, employing over 61,000 staff. This accounts for more than 40 percent of the total workforce in the country. Every year this sector consumes over one third of PNG’s Gross Domestic Product. Of this, 85 percent goes towards administration costs and salaries. Despite its increased role, size, activities and consumption of national budget, its overall performance over the last 25 years has been very disappointing. Its implementation of government policies and the delivery of services have generally been poor. There are numerous problems in the public service that contribute to poor performance. This article focuses on some selected problems, namely: the persistence of the colonial legacy, politicization of the bureaucracy, wantokism, ethnicization of the bureaucracy, poor housing conditions, a dual salary system, poor training and under-utilization of manpower, and bureaucratic corruption.