New Commission statistics: Mixed picture about employment rate developments in public administrations across the EU

For the EU as a whole, the review indicates a cross-sector employment growth of 1% in 2014. In line with this, employment in the public administrations was also shown to have grown, on aggregate, by 0.8%. However, at the same time the statistics also demonstrate how many EU Member States continue to see austerity-induced cuts in their public budgets being translated into job cuts in their public administrations. Examples include not only Portugal and Greece but also Romania, which saw a staggering 3.6% reduction in size of its public administrations’ workforce in 2014 alone.

In this context, CESI welcomes Commissioner Thyssen’s reassurance of today that “creating jobs and boosting growth is at the core of the Commission’s priorities.” CESI believes that the start should be made in the crisis-hit public administrations, which are so vital for the public sector to function smoothly.

Please follow this link to access the full March 2015 edition of the EU Employment and Social Situation Quarterly review, including detailed statistics.