The Cayman Islands Government’s public service workforce grew by 3.6% in 2025, ending the year with 8,302 employees as Caymanians increased their share of jobs across the public sector.
That is according to the government’s Annual HR Report 2025 which said the public service added 287 employees during the year.
It comprises the civil service, statutory authorities and government-owned companies, with 4,988 employees working in the civil service and 3,314 employed by statutory authorities and government-owned companies.
Caymanians accounted for 5,872 employees, representing 70.7% of the Public Service workforce, up from 69.1% in 2024.
Within statutory authorities and government-owned companies, Caymanian representation rose from 68.8% to 72.9%, while the civil service remained 69.3% Caymanian.
The civil service itself expanded by 175 employees, a 3.6% increase over the year.
The Department of Education Services added the most staff with 29 employees, followed by the Department of Environmental Health with 23 and the Fire Department with 22.
Meanwhile, the District Administration, Customs and Border Control and the Judicial Department recorded the largest reductions.
Women made up 55.8% of the civil service workforce, whose employees represented 53 nationalities.
Caymanians held 89% of chief officer positions and 84% of head of department posts, while receiving 77% of promotions awarded during 2025.
The report also highlighted workforce retention and recruitment trends.
Employee engagement reached 74%, the highest level since the survey began, while staff turnover remained at 7.2%, broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels.
During the year, the government implemented a 5% cost-of-living adjustment and introduced a minimum monthly salary of CI$3,000. The report said those measures contributed to an average civil service salary of $63,361.
Recruitment continued to focus on the local labour market, with 77% of appointments made on-island. Caymanians accounted for 63% of all new hires during the year.
The average civil service employee was 44 years old, with the largest proportion of staff aged between 40 and 44.
As of 31 December 2025, 164 employees, or 3.3% of the civil service workforce, were older than the current retirement age of 65.
