To attract top-tier talent for effective service delivery, the Government plans to address a “pressing” mismatch between public sector compensation and market standards.

Rena Lalgie, the Governor, while outlining the Government’s legislative agenda for the next year on Friday, said that the recruitment and retention of talent within the public sector “necessitates a strategic focus on modernisation”.

In this year’s Speech from the Throne, she said: “Key efforts are nearly complete in updating the Public Service Commission Regulations 2001 to modernise the governance structure of the Public Service to align with contemporary best practices.

“These changes will give more flexibility to managers, allowing for quicker resolution of performance challenges.”

Ms Lalgie said a review by PwC highlighted that government salaries, in many instances, were not competitive.

She added: “This review recommended the adoption of a new grading model and salary scale to better align public sector compensation with market standards.

“By addressing these disparities, the Government aims to attract and retain top-tier talent essential for effective governance and public service delivery.”

She said the Government was taking steps that were designed to build capacity within the island’s public sector and included the implementation of comprehensive leadership training programmes at various levels.

The programmes were geared towards improving leadership within organisations, and to build capacity and foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence within the Public Service.

She said: “By investing in the development of current and future leaders, the Government is ensuring that its workforce is well equipped to deliver better public services to the people of Bermuda.

“These efforts are vital to building a robust and dynamic public service capable of delivering high-quality services to the people of Bermuda, that is also more accountable for its performance.”

The Governor said as the initiatives were implemented, the Government remained committed to fostering an environment that values and supports its employees, ensuring a sustainable and effective public sector workforce for the future.