A significant surge in high earners within the federal public service has been revealed in newly released data, painting a picture of a rapidly expanding bureaucracy.
The number of federal employees taking home over $150,000 annually has jumped by a remarkable 96% in just five years, a trend that reflects a substantial shift in the composition of government payrolls.
In the most recent fiscal year, 27,261 federal public workers surpassed the $150,000 threshold, encompassing salaries, benefits, overtime, and bonuses – a 28% increase from the previous year’s 21,271.
The data reveals a tiered structure of high earners, with 20,200 exceeding $150,000, nearly 5,000 surpassing $200,000, and a smaller but still significant group earning $250,000 or more.
At the very top, 654 individuals earned over $300,000, and 42 employees commanded salaries exceeding $400,000, demonstrating a concentration of high compensation within the federal ranks.
Interestingly, the number of employees earning over $500,000 has decreased, with only six individuals reaching that level in the latest fiscal year, a notable drop from the 17 recorded in the two prior years.
Looking back, the numbers reveal a consistent upward trend in high earners, with 14,257 earning over $150,000 in 2022-23, 12,340 in 2021-22, and 13,842 in 2020-21.
These figures encompass a broad range of employees, including those in permanent, term, casual, and student positions, as well as deputy ministers and Governor-in-Council appointees across all federal agencies.
It’s important to note that the data excludes federal judges, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Forces, as well as employees of certain intelligence and regulatory bodies operating outside the standard federal pay system.
This growth in high earners coincides with an unprecedented expansion of the federal public service itself, which has swelled by 40% over the past decade, far outpacing Canada’s overall population growth of 14%.
With a current workforce of nearly 358,000, the federal government is now Canada’s largest employer, a scale that raises questions about efficiency and service delivery.
Unlike some provinces, the federal government does not publish an equivalent of a “sunshine list,” making it more challenging to track high salaries within the public service.
