Blas’ Headcount Squeeze

The number of city employees is at a decades-long high — so naturally Mayor de Blasio’s hiring more. Why worry about the trouble it means down the road?

As The Post’s Aaron Short reported Sunday, the city’s municipal headcount is on pace to hit a whopping 327,405 by the end of this fiscal year, June 30. That’s up 4.6 percent over last year’s 313,092 (itself a modernday record) and up more than 10 percent since de Blasio took office.

It’s good news for the city unions, whose membership rolls and dues are soaring. (They’ll repay Hizzoner with their support in next year’s mayoral race.) But taxpayers are on the hook. And while a strong local economy has kept coffers flush these past few years, what’ll happen in a downturn?

The headcount surge means the mayor is “locking in the cost for the long-term,” says Maria Doulis of the Citizens Budget Commission, which analyzed the figures.

The trend is particularly worrisome, she adds, “considering the cost of compensation for each employee” — which de Blasio boosted in contract negotiations.

If the economy weakens and city revenues dry up, de Blasio will be left with painful choices: cut city services and lay off employees or hike taxes — or both.

OK, expanding some agencies may make sense. We backed an increase in the ranks of the NYPD, and we’re happy to see the department announcing that crime’s down 3.8 percent through November.

But de Blasio never looks to cut elsewhere to fund such changes, just simply to spend more. Overall, the mayor’s financial plan shows nearly 20 percent growth since he took office, six times the inflation rate.

It all leaves de Blasio with one realistic hope: that the new president can keep the economy humming — and spare New York real pain.