A survey issued by the State Services Commission confirms the public sector is shrinking.
The number of full-time-equivalent employees in the public service has fallen for a second consecutive year.
The latest decline was 2.2%, compared with average rises of 4.9% per year between 2001 - 2009.
The survey also found an increase in the number of redundancies, and an increase in the rate of public servants leaving their jobs.
The figures confirm policies of the present Government to reverse what it called a blowout in state sector spending under Labour.
