Number employed in public sector drops by 8,200

THE number of people employed in the public sector has fallen by 8,200 in the 12 months to last September, according to official figures.

Data from the Central Statistics Office also reveals that the average salaries of public sector workers fell by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2009.

However, the CSO figures show that average earnings of public sector workers have risen by 2.5% over the past 12 months to €969.11 per week.