Proposed FY 2026 budget decrease in workforce, not reflected in its projected personnel costs

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The proposed budget for the Fiscal Year 2026 for the American Samoa Government (ASG) while showing an 11% increase — $815,392,069 — compared to the previous budget of $733,683,167 for Fiscal Year FY 2025, also forecasts a 3% decrease in the overall workforce, projecting a total reduction from 7,728 employees in the current fiscal year to 7,485. 

However, despite workforce decrease, 69.3% of the projected revenues will be spent on personnel services, which seems to be ‘the norm’ for ASG over the years.

According to the executive summary of FY 2026 proposed budget, in terms of specific employee categories, the number of career service employees is projected to decline to 5,892, a decrease of 1% from this year's total of 5,933.

Additionally, the number of contract employees is set to experience a significant reduction of 11%, decreasing from 1,794 in this year’s budget to 1,592 in the upcoming fiscal year. 

Work force reduction in the government has long been a proposed solution offered by many in the community as a means for ASG to use its revenues more wisely, i.e. pay its bills, do maintenance, and buy needed supplies. However, the contribution of government workers to the territory’s economy is often touted, with ASG being the largest employer. The canneries are second.