The increase in public employment offers has sounded the alarm in a context of difficulties in finding work in several sectors. The fear that administrations will “steal” talent from the “productive” economy seems confirmed by the profile of the opponents: 45% work in a company, 16% are students and only 6% are unemployed. The transfer from businesses is double that from other public employment: Only 22% of opponents do so to progress in their career in public service.
The data comes from a report prepared by ADAMSa company specializing in training and opposition preparation, in collaboration with market research firm More Than Research. And the analysis reveals that this “talent drain” This is due to the search for professional stability. 43% of those questioned cite this objective as an objective, while 34% speak of “better working conditions”.
“In addition to the stability and excellent working conditions that these positions offer, job security and possibility of family reconciliation These are the main factors that push candidates to prepare for opposition,” adds Gloria Oliveros, Director of Public Employment at ADAMS.
The study speaks of “historic peaks” in the volume of candidates thanks to “the unprecedented increase in the number of places available”, driven by the aging of the public workforce. Six out of ten opponents are between 25 and 44 years old, which suggests that the majority are young adults and people in the middle of active life, “who seek to consolidate their professional future through public service.”
In this sense, 55% of candidates are women, which indicates that female workers are increasingly inclined to seek stability that they do not consider assured in their current career. This is despite the fact that temporary employment in the public sector is double that in the private sector.
But we must remember that oppositions give priority to civil servants themselvesthe most stable: more than half of the positions called up in 2023 were oriented towards these positions, compared to 28% intended for statutory, military and other organizations, and the remaining 18% for worker personnel. “This distribution ranges from administrative functions to specialized roles, adapting to a wide range of needs and profiles,” underlines ADAMS.
That 45% of opponents come from private companies and that 16% consider themselves “students”, this implies that 61% of candidates They could work in private companies. In comparison, the unemployed represent only 6% and the self-employed 5%, which shows that working conditions (and the flow of income to survive) influence the difficulties of preparing for opposition.
33% of candidates invest between four and six months in their training, while 28% spend more than nine months. This requirement helps us understand why finding a job, when you don’t have one, is not the main reason for taking these tests, but also why the public job offer does not create net employment, but rather “transfers” it from the private sector.
And this is the case, to a greater extentamong qualified professionals: 36% of places announced in 2023 require a university degree or bachelor’s degree. At the same time, 23% of places are for those with a high school diploma and a further 23% for those with a higher education diploma from ESO.
The paradox of temporary workers
General administration is the most requested area, with 4 out of 10 objectors focusing on this area. Geographically, 7 out of 10 positions are concentrated at the state level, highlighting the high demand from national institutions and the centralization of key functions, while 24% are allocated at the regional level. Despite the fact that the highest percentage of public employment is at the territorial level.
In addition to administrative activities, the notable sectors are health (18%), education (17%) and security forces (11%), which suggests, according to ADAMS, “a preference for stability in essential areas and in high demand in the current context. “. It should be remembered that education and health have hardly improved their employment stability after the labor reform, at least compared to other sectors considered more precarious, such as construction or hospitality.
But precisely when the candidates talk about stability and improved working conditions, it is surprising that only 22% of the opponents are civil servants. But only 4% are temporary workers, when they should be the most interested in applying for a permanent position. However, they are largely surpassed by professionals in the private sector and even for the unemployed.
