000 in ten years from those of the public operators

The Government has the habit of the remonstrances of the Court of Auditors, but it will be particularly difficult to collect. In a thematic report released yesterday on the evolution of public employment since 1980, critical Court with virulence the reform of the State as it is currently conducted: General review of public policies and the sacrosanct rule of the replacement of a staff member on two starting retirement are not free. "The State is showing unable to analyze needs and schedule its workforce as a result, its personnel policy is dictated primarily by short-term budgetary considerations", said Philippe Séguin First President of the Court, who sees in the rule of the "one two" a "purely quantitative approach", which, in fine, "reward bad students".This can only train officials: "We can offer them as a single point of view a rationalization cold and permanent."In addition, the financial effect is limited (500 million today) and is dwindling: departures in retirement will be strongly reduced as from 2013.

More ambitious overhaul

The Court prefers stagnation It calls for a much more ambitious overhaul of public policy and the management of the personal, starting by "evaluate the needs and expectations", then "reviewing the perimeters of intervention" and "by simplifying the administrative structures."The reasoning is based on the balance sheet of what Governments of left and right have done for thirty years. Public employment (State, communities, hospitals, public institutions) jumped by 36 since 1980, 5.27 million, twice as fast as the population or total employment. This represents 1.4 million posts more. Progress has been much faster for hospitals ( 53) and territorial communities (71.2) for the State ( 14.3), but it means nothing that the latter be virtuous and that others are lax. Despite important transfers of jurisdiction to the communities, "decentralization caused no reduction or even stabilization of the population of the State", noted Philippe Séguin.

The same rules

Second ground: when these numbers began to decline in recent years, this is accompanied by a rapid progression (314.000 in ten years) from those of the public operators. Example: museums have hired when the Culture Ministry froze positions, same thing for health agencies created in the 1990s with the Ministry of health.

"Everything happens as if the State managed his personal without taking into account the evolution of its missions or needs, said Philippe Séguin. It's like a yo-yo which would mount. "While the weight of agriculture in GDP has been divided by two, the workforce of the Department and the operators have doubled since 1980. And "to show our fellow citizens became a policy priority, hiring officials to turn in arms." "The best example is given by the evolution of the numbers of the police" who have progressed continuously, is the first President. The Commons, by far the largest territorial employers (more than 1 million positions), also taking for their rank: their numbers soared by 50, which "seems difficult to justify since it is the level which has been the least beneficial transfers of jurisdiction."Similarly, they should decrease to compensate for the development of inter-communal structures.

Philippe Séguin nevertheless welcomes the willingness of the Budget Minister, Eric Woerth, to apply the same rules for the management to operators. But it is concerned about its ability to act in the light of their development (pole provides employment to 11 times more agents than the Department): "one day children are naturally empower and live their own wings." It goes without saying that parental authority is quite weak.