Posted Sep 27, 2022, 7:00 AM
He had promised in 2017 the elimination of 50,000 positions in the state civil service in five years, to end on a positive balance at the end of the five-year term. The episode will not happen again: in the spring, during the presidential campaign, Emmanuel Macron was careful not to commit to any reduction in the number of civil servants for his second term.
Fortunately, because the first finance bill (PLF) of its second five-year term provides for an increase in the number of state agents. This increase, of 10,764 precisely, is of the same order as those which had been announced under François Hollande. It’s a funny start for an executive who has a goal of stability in the number of civil servants over the five-year term.
Increases mostly known
The staff increases were essentially known. Some 7,000 correspond to the respect of multi-year commitments: 3,109 to the Ministry of the Interior, 2,313 to Justice and 1,583 to Defence. There will be added 4,000 people accompanying disabled students at the start of the 2023 school year, in addition to the 4,000 hires included in the 2022 budget for this start of the school year and confirmed a few days ago by the Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye. Except that now, the creation of AESH positions are counted in the workforce of the State, which was not the case before.
On the side of the Ministry of Labour, the future of the 969 full-time equivalents who came to reinforce the workforce of Pôle emploi this year was under debate. Decision was taken to extend them in 2023 to support “the unemployed furthest from employment and to implement the plan aimed at meeting recruitment needs in sectors in tension”, specifies Bercy.
The Ministry of Energy Transition spared
The surprise comes rather from the administrations which will see their workforce reduced. Two administrations were targeted by the finance law for 2022. The Ministry of the Economy, which for many years has been the one that has cut the most jobs, will remain negative, but at a reduced rate: just over 500 time equivalents full against some 1,500 in the initial budget for 2022. If, on the surface, National Education seems to be positive thanks to the creation of AESH posts, in reality, the main contribution to the reduction in the number of civil servants will come this year school education, with 2,000 fewer teaching posts.
The Ministry responsible for the Ecological Transition was the other administration involved in the initial budget for 2022 with the elimination of nearly 250 positions, including operators. It will this time be spared and see its workforce stabilize, with the posting of around twenty job creations.
Increase in payroll
These decisions will be added to the impact of several measures fueling the increase in the wage bill. The most significant is the general increase granted to agents of the three public services on 1er July. The 3.5% increase in the value of the index point which serves as the basis for calculating the remuneration of civil servants will alone cost 7.5 billion euros over a full year, to which are added several categorical measures, teachers to administrative judges.
What benchmarks in a constantly changing world?
Political uncertainties, scientific innovations, war in Ukraine, energy and ecological transition… How to understand these changes? How to position yourself? Every day, the 200 journalists from the “Echos” editorial staff help you decipher economic, political and international news through surveys, analyses, press reviews, chronicles and editorials. Our subscribers know that they can rely on these resources to better navigate our complex environment and make the best strategic decisions.
