Eight civil servants faced disciplinary sanctions last year, of whom two were sacked outright and three forced to retire, according to data provided by the Public Service Commission on Thursday.

During a presentation of its work for 2023, the Public Service Commission (PSC) said that during the year it imposed eight disciplinary penalties.

Two civil servants received ‘severe reprimands’, one was demoted to a lower payscale, three were forced into retirement, and two were fired.

The PSC did not go into the details of the cases.

Elsewhere in its overview of 2023, the PSC provided a profile of the people working in the civil service. Just over 68 per cent hold a university degree.

Of the appointments made to positions not requiring a university degree, 9 per cent held just a high-school diploma, the rest had a university education.

Meanwhile women held the most positions in the civil service – 64 per cent. The trend persisted of more women occupying mid-level management positions but also management positions. For the latter, there were 129 women and 104 men.

The high percentage of female employees was especially pronounced in the attorney-general’s office.

On the age profile of new hires during 2023, the average age was 34 years. And 67 per cent of all civil servants were 35 to 54 years old, 26 per cent over 55 years old, and 7 per cent under 35 years old.

The main functions of the PSC include appointments, promotions, transfers, resignations, secondments and exercise of disciplinary control over public officers.