Mines a threat to public service

THE state's forecast mining boom threatens to poach the best civil servants and hamper the Government's ability to deliver programs, a report warns.

The Public Service Association yesterday released a report by University of Adelaide Australian Workplace Innovation and Social Research Centre, Executive Director John Spoehr as it gears up for a tense May 31 State Budget.

The Government has previously committed to 4000 jobs cuts and there is expectation it will again look to make more in the coming Budget.

Prof Spoehr's report finds $63 million has been spent on recruiting and training the public servants the Government plans to cut, and other sectors of the economy threaten to take the best of the remaining staff.

"Over the next five years an accelerating retirement rate of public servants will coincide with the significant expansion of the resources sector," the report states.

"Combined, these forces will result in tightening of the SA labour market."

Public Sector Minister Michael O'Brien said the Government recognised the importance of retaining a highly skilled public sector. "Skills can be retained while at the same time making the necessary adjustments to the size of the public sector workforce so that Government can operate within current budgetary constraints," he said.

"We welcome the PSA report as a contribution to the discussion that's occurring between Government and all public sector unions."