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Strategy and policy
Reform Support

Strengthening the attractiveness of the public service in France

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Supporting reforms to reinforce efficient and high quality public administrations

Funding Programme
Year
  • 2021

Strengthening the attractiveness of the public service in France 

The Commission aimed to improve the French administration’s institutional capacity to plan and implement actions at national and regional level to attract, recruit and retain staff, with a particular focus on four pilot regions which are less attractive. It also generated a greater understanding in the administration on the changing nature of jobs in the public sector and the factors of un/attractiveness of civil service at regional level.

Context 

An increasing number of EU Member States are facing a challenge of attractiveness of their civil service. While the debate usually focuses mainly on the subject of pay alone, the subject of attractiveness is made up of several facets linked to the nature of the job, a coherent career path, and, particularly when it comes to regional attractiveness, the quality of life offered in the territory. The qualitative focus on the Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Ile de France and Normandy regions, which are facing, in whole or in part, difficulties in attracting, recruiting, and retaining their public employees, has made it possible to raise recommendations for the French public administration. 

Support delivered 

The project has shed light on the attractiveness of the French public service in French regions, through a mostly qualitative focus on four regions (Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, Normandy). 

It has:

  • Analysed the attractiveness of the public service as an employer in the four selected territories.
  • Provided a snapshot on employment changes and good HR practices in the public sphere
  • Provided recommendations to establish a platform to develop and pilot effective HR practices and indicators. 

Results achieved 

This project has made it possible to: 

  • to gain a better understanding of the attractiveness factors of the civil service in four pilot regions and its potential bottlenecks;
  • compare the situation with that of other OECD and European Union countries and identify major trends in public employment and its impact on the HR function;
  • and react to boost this role as an employer state in the regions through recommendations to develop indicators to monitor attractiveness.

Useful links

More about the project

You can read the final report here: