OECD Public Governance Reviews

Skills for a High Performing

Civil Service
HIGHLIGHTS
Contents Introduction

Public sector skills in the search for public value  1 Today’s civil servants are addressing problems of
Skills for developing policy  2 unprecedented complexity in societies that are more pluralistic
Skills for citizen engagement and service delivery  3 and demanding than ever. At the same time, the systems
Skills for commissioning and contracting services  5 and tools of governance are increasingly digital, open and
Skills for managing in and through networks  6 networked. Civil servants need the right skills to keep pace.

Towards a highly skilled civil service  7 This presents a double challenge: the first is to identify which
Determining skills needs and gaps: competency skills will be needed for a civil service which is fit-for-purpose
management and workforce planning  7 today and into the future; the second is to figure out how
Attracting and selecting skills: employer branding and civil services can invest in these skills – through attraction,
targeted recruitment  9 recruitment and development – to improve policies and
Developing skills: training systems and learning cultures  10 services.
Using skills: getting the most from investments in skills  12
This report addresses both sides of this challenge by
The skilled civil service of the future  13 proposing a framework through which OECD countries can
begin to assess the skills they presently have or gaps that may
exist. Then, through the use of OECD data, the report identifies
promising trends and innovations in civil service management
that can help set the right strategy to improve employment
policies.

This report was prepared by the OECD Directorate for Public

Governance (GOV). It is based upon a 2016 survey by the
OECD Public Employment and Management Working Party
(PEM) and its related work on skills, competencies and
performance.

The PEM is a collaborative international forum of senior

practitioners seeking to address current challenges affecting
public services and civil service reform. It undertakes
comparative analysis on issues related to strategic civil
service management and compensation, which provides
governments with unique data to inform their reform
agendas. The network is one of the main contributors to key
GOV projects such as Government at a Glance.
 HIGHLIGHTS
PUBLIC SECTOR SKILLS IN THE SEARCH FOR PUBLIC VALUE

Public sector skills in the search

for public value
To assess changes in the skills needed in today’s civil services, the OECD has developed a
framework which identifies four areas, each representing specific tasks and skills required in the
relationship between the civil service and the society it serves.

l Policy advice and analysis: Civil servants work l Commissioning and contracting: Not all public
with elected officials to inform policy development. services are delivered directly by public servants.
However, new technologies, a growing body of Governments throughout the OECD are increasingly
policy-relevant research, and a diversity of citizen engaging third parties for the delivery of services. This
perspectives, demand new skills for effective and requires skills in designing, overseeing and managing
timely policy advice. contractual arrangements with other organisations.

l Service delivery and citizen engagement: Civil l Managing networks: Civil servants and governments
servants work directly with citizens and users of are required to work across organisational boundaries
government services. New skills are required for civil to address complex challenges. This demands skills to
servants to effectively engage citizens, crowdsource convene, collaborate and develop shared understanding
ideas and co-create better services. through communication, trust and mutual commitment.

Strategic Innovation
Civil service skills for public value: orientation capabilities
a framework Foresight, New tools
evidence, for policy
resilience Develop making
policy

Professional expertise
Legal, regulatory,
Innovation economic... Strategic orientation
capabilities
Engaging citizens to
Agile development,
improve policy
social finance
Professional Professional outcomes
expertise expertise
Value for Service,
Commission money, Civil outreach, Work with
and contract business servants commun- Citizens
and ications...
Strategic Innovation
commercial...
orientation capabilties
using and developing crowdsourcing,
markets to improve co-creation
policy outcomes
Professional expertise
Stakeholder relations,
partnership development

Innovation Collaborate Strategic

capabilities in networks orientation
Social Align
innovation, objectives,
government resources,
as platform actions

Source: Author’s own design.

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 OECD : SKILLS FOR A HIGH PERFORMING CIVIL SERVICE

Professional civil services are as important as ever to SKILLS FOR DEVELOPING POLICY
respond to complex challenges and to deliver public
value. However, in addition to professional expertise, Providing evidence-based, “frank and fearless” policy
civil services must also be strategic and innovative. The advice is a long-standing civil service function in
framework evaluates the four skills areas mentioned most OECD countries, and the traditional principles
above in light of these three qualities: of evidence-based, balanced and objective advice
to policy makers remain fundamental. However,
l Civil servants in a professional civil service are expectations for open and innovative government,
qualified, impartial, values-driven and ethical. These technological transformations and other societal forces
are foundational and suggest the need to ensure civil are significantly changing the traditional policy skills to
servants are certified professionals in their area of define problems, design solutions, and build the political
expertise. support to move it forward.

l A civil service composed of qualified professionals Defining Policy Problems

will not automatically address today’s challenges.
Professional civil servants will also need to be Detecting and understanding the root causes of
future-oriented and evidence-based. This requires complex policy problems requires analytical skills
the acquisition of strategic skills, particularly at that can synthesise multiple disciplines and/or
management levels, to encourage collaboration perspectives into a single narrative. Pluralistic societies
between areas of expertise and across the four parts of interpret policy situations differently and demand that
the framework discussed. This includes skills related problem definition no longer take place in a closed
to risk management, foresight and resilience. environment by experts. Opening up policy making
means that problems are often raised to the attention
l Sometimes professional and strategic skills reach their of civil servants by citizens and politicians. However,
limits due to legacy structures and systems of public initial problem statements often require refocusing
sector organisations. In these cases, civil servants need and reframing through, for example, an exploration
to be innovative to redesign the tools of governance of data, consultations and discussions with multiple
and develop novel solutions to persistent and stakeholders, horizon scanning, scenario development
emergent policy challenges. The OECD’s Observatory and other tools.
for Public Sector Innovation has defined six skills areas
needed in public sector organisations to drive more, One of the most important steps in all cases is to
and better, public sector innovation. identify the right stakeholders and the right experts. This
requires civil servants who are networked into broader
policy communities beyond their own civil services.

The digital transformation provides opportunities to

understand the complex interactions of the policy
sphere as never before through, for example, bigger and
more interlinked data sets and opportunities to engage
the public and crowdsource insights. This suggests
skill sets related to data science, network analysis,
social networking and social media, crowdsourcing and
foresight techniques, in addition to more traditional
methods of analysis, forecasting, and community
outreach and consultation.

Designing Solutions

Civil servants involved in policy design need an

understanding and awareness of a wide range of policy
solutions. They need skills to design solutions informed
by advances in behavioural economics, social finance,
sociology and ethnography. They need foresight skills to
understand potential future scenarios to find solutions
that are resilient to future uncertainties and sustainable
over time. Civil servants also need systems and design

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 HIGHLIGHTS
PUBLIC SECTOR SKILLS IN THE SEARCH FOR PUBLIC VALUE

thinking to understand and influence the interactions SKILLS FOR CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE
among the various actors (third party service delivery DELIVERY
organisations, other levels of government etc.) involved
in service delivery. Governments engage with citizens in one form
or another at various stages of policy and service
Today’s policy advisers need an understanding of development. Input from citizens can help to design
what has worked well in the recent past and how better and more cost-effective policies, as well as
these successes can be adapted and scaled to current build the community ownership for policy and service
problems, while responding to local context. This solutions required to ensure sustainable impact over
includes an understanding of the range of online a long term. While service delivery, communication,
methods available for delivery solutions, and the skills consultation and engagement have long been part of
needed to measure success and adjust along the way. the government toolkit, three trends are changing the
They also need to move from being sector experts skills required: increasingly complex service delivery
to being able to confront and blend different sector landscapes; technological change which results in new
expertise. channels and tools for engagement; and the expectation
to incorporate more meaningful input and participation
Influencing the Policy Agenda at a greater number of stages of the policy/service design
process.
Policy advice is inherently political and although civil
servants in most countries espouse political neutrality Complex service delivery
as a core value, they cannot be tone deaf to the tune of
politics. Policy windows open at moments in political The complexity of public service delivery has grown
cycles, or as the result of shifts in public opinion and in most countries as the channels for service delivery
perception. This requires skills related to timing, and increase and services are increasingly delivered by
designing policy proposals in a way that responds to the networks of agents who may or may not be directly
needs of the moment. Balancing the often short-term employed by the government. In many ways, client-
and urgent needs of politicians for policy solutions with facing employees are required not only to provide
the democratic and evidence-based values and capacity services, but also to help citizens to find their way
of the civil service is a long-standing challenge that is through these complex service systems to get the help
becoming more difficult given the speed at which politics and service they need. This means that client-facing
progresses. public employees need to be more than transactional,
and also need to act as guides or pathfinders to help
Civil servants need skills to understand the timing of citizens navigate complex webs of services, entitlements,
how to deliver analysis in a quick and agile way that benefits and eligibility requirements. This requires a
responds to the needs of the moment. It also means detailed knowledge and awareness of the community
recognising and managing risk and uncertainty. and the government, and a need for high-level
Similarly, the tools for communicating policy ideas to communication skills, empathy and reflection, as well
elected officials have significantly advanced to enable as a level of discretion and empowerment to resolve
more compelling visual presentations and storytelling. issues.

Policy skills

Professional Traditional building blocks of policy making and advice include professionals with expertise in law and
regulation, economics, political science, public administration, statistics, etc.

Strategic skills Designing new policies and refreshing old ones by bringing multiple perspectives to a problem, using
foresight techniques to test different scenarios, and building resilience into policy design from potential
shocks and unforeseen events.

Innovation skills Rethinking the tools of policy making, through, for example, experimental policy design, (big) data-driven
policy development, open policy making (including the use of ICT for crowdsourcing), design/systems
thinking, and behavioural insights.

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 OECD : SKILLS FOR A HIGH PERFORMING CIVIL SERVICE

Digital transformation Innovation through co-creation

The digital transformation in governments is resulting in User centricity is also a recognised ingredient of public
an ever increasing number of ways in which civil servants sector innovation. Human-centred design principles
can interact with citizens to identify problems and design emphasise how people interact with systems and
better policy and service solutions. Social media can allow processes, while behavioural science can help to analyse
governments to crowdsource ideas from citizens and can the way people think and respond to different situations.
provide platforms for policy discussions and debates to To develop effective user-centred services and policies,
overcome geographical and time-related barriers. Managing officials must adopt participative approaches that
social media is a particular skill set that is not usually involve users throughout the life of the project. Specific
combined with policy expertise, and that requires a new skills in this regard involve facilitation and design skills,
and constantly updated skill set to maximise potential. ethnographic research skills, and online consultation
However, most OECD countries have not developed and engagement skills.
strategies or plans to develop social media skills.

Skills for citizen engagement and service delivery

Professional Traditional building blocks of service and engagement skills include professionals with expertise in public
relations, communications, marketing, consultation, facilitation, service delivery, conflict resolution, community
development, outreach etc.

Strategic Using engagement skills to achieve specific outcomes to inform, for example, better targeted interventions, or
nudging public behaviour towards desirable outcomes, such as healthier eating habits or smoking reduction.

Innovative Innovation skills applied to engagement to expand and redesign the tools themselves through, for example,
co-creation, prototyping, social media, crowdsourcing, challenge prizes, ethnography, opinion research and
data, branding, behavioural insights/nudging, digital service environments and user data analytics.

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 HIGHLIGHTS
SKILLS FOR COMMISSIONING AND CONTRACTING are achieving policy objectives. Additionally, public
SERVICES employees setting up and managing contracts need to
have skills related to integrity and managing conflicts of
Increasingly, civil services establish contractual interest.
relationships with third party service providers to deliver
services to citizens on their behalf. This can take many The significant increases in commissioning amounts
forms, from service contracts, grants to non-profits, and complexity, the high levels of public funds implied,
social impact bonds, and PPPs. Expectations are that and the potential for high profile failure push the skill
civil servants will be able to conduct complex impact set for commissioning into the spotlight. Furthermore,
assessments, cost benefit analysis, risk management, the shift towards increased transparency and
forecasting and foresight, and assess value for money. accountability for government spending has led many to
question how the government is able to account for the
This implies a range of commercial, legal and regulatory impact of such spending. This means a need not only to
skills that go far beyond most countries’ expectations of design a contract and oversee its management, but also
traditional procurement agents. They include knowledge to conceive of performance indicators that are able to
of markets and the ways that firms operate, how to design track value for money, and investment instruments that
and manage contractual relationships in a way that are flexible enough to adjust when indicators suggest
provides value to all parties (and especially the public) a need for change. Technological change provides new
and how to regulate markets. This implies not only opportunities for contracting, but also increases the
commercial skills to set up and manage contracts, but complexity of the project and technical risks involved.
also the ability to set market-based policy frameworks There is a sense that in many cases an information (and
and design systems for providing feedback on how the skill) asymmetry challenges government to be a smart
various actors (regulators, commissioners, providers) buyer and manage the associated risks.

Skills for commissioning and contracting services

Professional Building blocks of commissioning skills include professionals with expertise in contract design and
management, procurement, business management, commercial law and economics, finance and investment,
audit and control, project and risk management etc.

Strategic Using commissioning skills and techniques to increase value for money; working with the market to develop
innovations; using commissioning to achieve secondary policy objectives, such as building a greener
economy; and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social enterprises, etc.

Innovative Rethinking the processes of commissioning through approaches and financial tools that support innovation
in and outside government such as agile development, data-driven key performance indicators (KPIs), early
market engagement and partnerships, instrument selection, social finance, impact investing, social impact
bonds, vouchers, etc.

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 SKILLS FOR MANAGING IN AND THROUGH NETWORKS mediation, negotiation, facilitation, diplomacy), building
consensus and joint problem solving, brokerage
Somewhere between working directly with citizens and political entrepreneurship, risk analysis, project
and working through contractual relationships there management, flexibility and adaptability, bridge-
exists a modality that is receiving increased attention: building, feedback loops, communication skills, and
collaboration and adaptive management through creative problem solving. This is the realm of boundary
networks. There are many examples of collaborative spanners and implies a very different approach to
partnerships and networks that combine multiple leadership and solutions development.
government agencies and various private and not-for-
profit organisations to collectively address common While this has implications for skills throughout the
problems. Some suggest that this is the primary civil service, leadership is particularly implicated.
governance model of the future as collaborative Collaborative leadership is a growing field and provides
networks can tap into a wider body of knowledge, a counterbalance to the top-down transactional and
perspective and technology than any one organisation, transformational leadership styles. Collaborative
and can help to generate consensus around problems, leadership emphasises leadership as a trait that is
definitions, potential solutions and collective projected horizontally. Leaders catalyse and facilitate
implementation. collective action, and leadership roles are generally
dispersed among different levels of an organisation
Managing networks requires a mix of information and and multiple stakeholders. Nevertheless, leaders at
relational skills, and ultimately depends on trust within the top remain of key importance as they establish the
the network participants. Key skills in the literature on culture of trust and frameworks for delegation and
networked governance include trust building, systems accountability.
thinking, high-level interpersonal skills (coaching,

Table 4: Skills for managing networks

Professional Building blocks of network management skills include professionals with expertise in stakeholder relations,
partnership development, knowledge management and sharing, project management and
co-ordination.

Strategic Using partnerships and networks to establish common objectives, align responsibility and resources,
and effect positive change.

Innovative Rethinking the processes of government through approaches and tools that support innovation in
and outside government, incubating social innovation, leveraging government as a platform, building
partnerships around open government data, systems thinking and analysis, framing issues around results,
identifying and engaging new actors, change narrative, alternative regulation (e.g. behavioural insights), etc.

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 HIGHLIGHTS
TOWARDS A HIGHLY SKILLED CIVIL SERVICE

Towards a highly skilled civil service

Identifying the skills needed is a first step towards developing a fit-for-purpose civil service for the twenty-first
century. Building this civil service requires a new look at the way people are managed; one that recognises
that public employees are neither homogenous nor mutually interchangeable.

This suggests the need to develop employment policies DETERMINING SKILLS NEEDS AND GAPS: COMPETENCY
and frameworks that are not only driven by quantitative MANAGEMENT AND WORKFORCE PLANNING
factors (numbers and cost), but that are ultimately driven
by individual qualities (skills and expertise). The second Determining the skills needed to meet current and future
part of this report looks at trends and innovations in priorities, and assessing the gaps in the current workforce,
public employment that address these requirements. are fundamental steps for strategic workforce planning.
However, there are many challenges. A good analysis
The second part of the report is organised around four of current workforce capability is necessary to identify
themes. The first step is to determine what tools and strengths and weaknesses, and while most OECD countries
methods are available to understand and identify skills have defined a common skills and competency profile for
gaps in the civil service. Once gaps are identified, they their civil servants, it remains a challenge to map these
can be filled through either bringing people with these skills and identify gaps.
skills into the organisation (recruitment) or developing
these skills within the existing workforce. A highly Bringing a future-oriented view of skills into workforce
skilled public sector workforce will only produce results planning raises a second set of challenges. As the public
if people with the required skill sets find a home in sector undergoes significant tranformations, skill sets need
organisations ready to put those skills to use. to follow. However failing to account for this in strategic

Managing civil service skills

1. Determine 2. Attract 3. Develop 4. Use

and Select and nurture

What are the How can the How can public What kind
needed skill sets right people with organisations of public
and where are sought-after skill create a culture organisation
the gaps? How sets be attracted of learning for a is required to
can they be to jobs in the dynamic and fast- allocate skills and
defined? public sector? changing world? put them to their
best use?

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 OECD : SKILLS FOR A HIGH PERFORMING CIVIL SERVICE

workforce planning means that organisations replicate the important cross-cutting competencies that should be
skills they needed in the past without preparing for the complemented by professional expertise in specific
future. subject matter areas.

Survey and case study analysis on these themes reveal the lB

 ringing these themes together in future-oriented
following findings: workforce planning remains a core challenge for
public sector HRM. Workforce planning driven by skills
l Most OECD countries have articulated a strategic and and competencies, instead of numbers and costs, is
forward-looking vision for their public sectors that essential to ensure that both capacity and capability
recognises the need for highly skilled civil servants to considerations are factored into HR decision making. This
drive public sector performance. suggests the need to develop better data on workforce
skills, which are rarely available in civil services of OECD
l The use of competency frameworks is a clear trend in countries, as well as foresight capacity in order to ensure
OECD countries, with a primary focus on leadership, that the workforce keeps pace with the fast pace of
behavioural and cognitive competencies. These are technological and social change.
 
Competencies highlighted in competency profiles (OECD 35, 2016)

Values and ethics

Leadership
Achieving results
Strategic thinking
Communication
Team work
Problem solving
Professionalism
Interpersonal relationships
Efficiency
Self-development / learning
Judgement
Initiative
Co-ordination
Vision
Customer / client-orientation
Adaptability/flexibility
Organisation
Loyalty
Innovation
Commitment
Reliability
Negotiation
Information processing
Digital competencies
Other
Political competencies
Number of
Business / commercial competencies OECD countries

0 5 10 15 20 25
Source: OECD (2016a), Survey on Strategic Human Resources Management in Central/Federal Governments of OECD Countries, OECD, Paris.

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 HIGHLIGHTS
TOWARDS A HIGHLY SKILLED CIVIL SERVICE

ATTRACTING AND SELECTING SKILLS: EMPLOYER lM

 erit-based recruitment processes have been a bedrock
BRANDING AND TARGETED RECRUITMENT of professional civil services in most OECD countries
for many years. However, some civil services may need
Workforce planning can help to identify needed skills and to update their processes to open up possibilities for
assess gaps, and can result in a plan to fill these gaps, recruitment at all levels, quicken the speed of the process,
usually through workforce development or the acquisition and ensure that selection is well attuned to future-
of new employees. Until recently, most OECD countries had oriented skills and diversity requirements. Fast track
implemented hiring freezes in the wake of the 2008 crisis. As programmes are one way to reach out to specific skill sets
OECD economies recover and face high levels of retirement, which may be lacking. Some governments are moving
many budgetary constraints remain. It is likely that central towards competency-based selection processes instead
government workforces will remain leaner than in the of relying on educational qualifications as the primary
past. This suggests an urgent need to ensure that hiring is indicator of merit.
undertaken with a careful assessment of the right skill sets
needed to boost public sector capacity and productivity, and lA
 nother fundamental aspect of attraction and
that civil services and public administrations are able to recruitment relates to the terms and conditions
attract people with these skill sets to their workplace. of employment. Many civil services use common
employment frameworks across various categories of
Survey and case study analysis on these themes reveal the employment. While this reinforces internal equity, there
following findings: may be benefits in bringing an evidence-based and
principled approach to the design of specific employment
l Although most OECD civil services indicate that they terms and conditions for specific positions or professions.
remain relatively attractive employers in the current job This can be done to align aspects of the employment
market, they also face difficulty competing for specific value proposition, such as pay and job security, with the
skill sets with the private sector. Understanding what requirements of the job and the conditions of the broader
attracts people to careers in the civil service can help to labour market.
brand the civil service as an employer of choice.  

Elements highlighted in civil service recruitment material (OECD 35, 2016)

Opportunity to contribute to public value

Job content

Integrity, public values and ethics

Diversity and inclusion

Learning opportunities

Work- life balance

Flexible working opportunities

Career advancement opportunities

Job security

Employer reputation

Employee engagement

Culture of good leadership and collaboration

Financial compensation

Pension
Number of
Social security / insurance OECD countries
0 5 10 15 20 25

Source: OECD (2016a), Survey on Strategic Human Resources Management in Central/Federal Governments of OECD Countries, OECD, Paris.

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 OECD : SKILLS FOR A HIGH PERFORMING CIVIL SERVICE

DEVELOPING SKILLS: TRAINING SYSTEMS AND lD

 ifferent institutional structures exist to manage and
LEARNING CULTURES oversee civil service training, and various approaches
exist to align training at individual, organisational and
Employee development is a pillar of any skills strategy, civil service levels. What is important is that training
particularly in civil services with high levels of job security and development is organised and aligned to the core
and low overall turnover. Learning opportunities have priorities of the civil service, ideally to the civil service
been highlighted as an important element of employer vision and competency frameworks, but also to future
branding strategies and ensuring a learning culture will only priorities such as foresight, innovation, and digital skills.
become more important given the high speed of change
and technological advancement. Lifelong learning will be lC
 ountries that combine individual learning incentives
essential not only to move forward in a career, but also as an (e.g. learning plans linked to performance management
organisational strategy to modernise and cope with change. processes) and organisational plans (organisational or
civil service-wide plans) are more likely to be able to
Training budgets, however, were one of the first things to ensure that civil servants receive the training they need,
be cut in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. While budget and that training provision is effectively co-ordinated.
constraints were significant, such reactions, if sustained
over the long term, risk cutting off the civil service’s ability lD
 eveloping a learning culture in the public sector will
to renew and refresh the skills sets it needs to make good require much more than well-coordinated training.
policy and implement new services. Reinvesting in civil Leadership development and online training are the
service learning will require not only training programmes, two highest priorities for OECD countries in terms of
but also embedding learning in the culture and values of learning and development, and these may help. However,
the organisation, making it a core responsibility of every countries will also need to use a broader range of tools,
public manager. such as mentoring, coaching, networking, peer learning
and mobility assignments to promote learning as a day-
Survey and case study analysis on these themes reveal the to-day activity that is integrated into the jobs of civil
following findings: servants.

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 HIGHLIGHTS
TOWARDS A HIGHLY SKILLED CIVIL SERVICE

Training priorities (OECD 35, 2016)

Executive leadership training and coaching

Online course development (e-learning,
m-learning, blended learning)
Training for middle management

A “whole of government” training strategy

IT / digital skills training

Monitoring and evaluation of training investment

Coordination mechanisms for civil service training
(e.g. across ministries / agencies)
Coaching and mentoring

Special development programs

Partnerships with universities and public
post secondary educational institutions
Other

Facilitation of community of practice

Events and conferences

Decentralization of training to ministry / agency

Networking programmes

Outsourcing training to private delivery Number of

OECD countries
0 5 10 15 20 25
Source: OECD (2016a), Survey on Strategic Human Resources Management in Central/Federal Governments of OECD Countries, OECD, Paris.

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 OECD : SKILLS FOR A HIGH PERFORMING CIVIL SERVICE

USING SKILLS: GETTING THE MOST FROM Survey and case study analysis on these themes support
INVESTMENTS IN SKILLS the following findings:

Once skills are identified, acquired and developed, they will lS

 kills match is very difficult to assess, but some countries
not have an impact unless they are deployed in a system are using employee surveys as a source of insight.
designed to make use of them. A well-known theory of Employee surveys can also provide insight into a range
human performance suggests that employees need three of other factors related to skills use, such as engagement
things in order to perform well: abilities, motivation and and workplace health issues.
opportunity. Most of this report has focused on the first,
but without consideration of the second two, skills will not lM
 obility and agility are important factors. Ensuring
translate to performance. opportunities for horizontal mobility enables some
skill sets to be shared across institutions, while vertical
Recent OECD research on productivity in national economies mobility through career paths can help to ensure that
shows that it is essential to match skills to job requirements. people with in-demand skill sets are organised in ways
According to analysis conducted by the US Partnership for that allow them to develop, grow and put their skills to
Public Service in 2016, only 56 % of US federal employees best use. Some civil services have developed shared talent
agreed that their talents are well used in the workplace, while pools to ensure that hard-to-find skills are available, even
the private sector scores, on average, over 20 points higher. if temporarily, across the whole civil service.

One of the highest predictors of skills use is the existence lT

 alent management programmes and the use of high
of high performance work practices, such as team work, performance work practices are possibly the most
autonomy, task discretion, mentoring, job rotation and valuable, but the hardest to implement as they rely
the degree of internal flexibility to adapt job tasks to the fundamentally on the quality of, and trust in, the
skills of new hires. This highlights a key challenge for all management cadre in the civil service.
organisations, but one that may be particularly difficult for
public sector bureaucracies: how to make the best use of
the skills they have once they are attracted and developed?

Employee surveys: Areas of focus (OECD 35, 2016)

Job satisfaction

Employee motivation

Work / life balance

Organisational commitment

Effectiveness of management

Employee engagement

Work intensity

Stress levels

Perceived employer image

Integrity at the workplace

Discrimination
Impacts on employees of workplace
change / transformation
Skills match (between job and employee)

Effectiveness of HRM systems

Harassment
Number
of OECD
Inclusion (of, for example, minorities) countries

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Source: OECD (2016a), Survey on Strategic Human Resources Management in Central/Federal Governments of OECD Countries, OECD, Paris

12
 HIGHLIGHTS
The skilled civil service of the future
This report reinforces a known, but often overlooked, fact: that the capacity and capability of the civil service
workforce is fundamental to the success of all public policy and reform.

Given that in today’s public sector change is constant, public The OECD strives to support countries to make evidence-
investment in the skill sets of civil servants is required for informed investments that can boost the capacity of their
government to become more nimble, agile and adaptable. The civil service. Identifying principles that can underpin these
models, data and examples presented in this report show that decisions will support OECD governments to design and
OECD countries are beginning to take steps towards updating implement civil service reforms that take into account
their employment frameworks, but no guidance exists at capacity and capability, and balance short-term pressures
an international level. Further developing the insights in with future-oriented foresight to ensure sustainability over
this report towards an OECD recommendation on public the long term. This involves looking at the characteristics of
employment will help guide countries on the investments the civil servants, the systems that manage them, and their
needed to make their civil service fit-for-purpose in the leaders. This leads to the following framework (see below),
twenty-first century. which can help guide the development of these principles.

Towards a professional, strategic and innovative civil service

Professional Strategic Innovative

Needs civil servants l Qualified l Outcomes driven l Iterative

who are: l Independent l Evidence based l Data literate
l Values driven l Future oriented l Citizen centred
l Ethical l Proactive l Curious

l Networked l Storytellers

l Insurgent

In a civil service l Merit based l Agile lO

 pen and collaborative
which is: lC
 apable of integrating lA
 ttractive to skilled job seekers cultures, leadership and
soft skills, ethics, talent management
lP
 lanned and managed to
management (future potential ensure the right skills and l Engaged
vs. past performance) competencies are effectively lA
 utonomous (e.g. work
lA
 ble to structure the right allocated to areas of current design)
balance of generalist and and emerging need l Mobile
specialist professions and lF
 uture
oriented and l Diverse
career paths responsive
l Learning oriented

Led by Senior Civil lT

 rusted policy advisors lT
 ransformational
leaders, lC
 ollaborative
leaders and
Servants who are: and effective transactional change managers adaptive managers
managers
OECD Public Governance Reviews

Skills for a High Performing

Civil Service
This series includes international studies and country-specific reviews of
government efforts to make the public sector more efficient, effective, innovative
and responsive to citizens’ needs and expectations. Publications in this series
look at topics such as open government, preventing corruption and promoting
integrity in the public service, risk management, illicit trade, audit institutions,
and civil service reform. Country-specific reviews assess a public administration’s
ability to achieve government objectives and preparedness to address current
and future challenges. In analysing how a country's public administration works,
reviews focus on crossdepartmental co-operation, the relationships between
levels of government and with citizens and businesses, innovation and quality
of public services, and the impact of information technology on the work of
government and its interaction with businesses and citizens.

Civil servants make an important contribution to national growth and prosperity.

Today, however, digitalisation and more demanding, pluralistic and networked
societies are challenging the public sector to work in new ways. This report looks
at the capacity and capabilities of civil servants of OECD countries. It explores the
skills required to make better policies and regulations, to work effectively with
citizens and service users, to commission cost-effective service delivery, and to
collaborate with stakeholders in networked settings. The report also suggests
approaches for addressing skills gaps through recruitment, development and
workforce management.

For further information visit www.oecd.org/gov/pem