Public Administration Staff: Roles, Selection, and Requirements
Item 9: Staff at the Service of Public Administrations
1. Human Resources Management
Civil servants are paid professionals in public administration who serve the general interest.
1.1 Types of Public Employees
1. Personnel Management: Individuals who develop professional leadership roles in government (e.g., General Manager).
2. Public Officials:
- A. Career Officials: Persons working within the administration who perform professional services and are paid permanently.
- B. Interim Officials: Individuals appointed for reasons of necessity or urgency to perform the duties of civil servants. They cease employment at the end of the cause that led to their appointment (e.g., to cover maternity leave).
3. Temporary Staff: Individuals who perform functions expressly classified as trust or special counseling, not restricted to civil servants, and are paid from budgetary appropriations for this purpose (e.g., political office).
4. Labor Personnel: Individuals who, under written employment contracts, provide services paid by the government. The contract may be indefinite or temporary.
1.2 Grades of Career Officials
Officials are grouped into grades according to specialties, skills, and communities, accredited through a selective process. The bodies and scales are classified according to the qualifications required for access.
2. Access to Public Employment
When the government’s human resource needs cannot be covered with existing staff, it proceeds to select new personnel, whether official or labor, in accordance with the offer of public employment. This is done through a public call and systems that ensure the principles of equality, merit, and ability, as well as publicity.
2.1 Personnel Selection Systems
All selection procedures and access to official or personal work are performed by public call, through opposition, contest, or competition-opposition systems.
- Opposition: Consists of holding one or more preliminary rounds of capacity to determine the suitability of applicants and establish their order in the selection.
- Competition: Consists of the classification of merits provided by the applicants in relation to those required in the notice.
- Competition-Opposition: Consists of holding a competition phase (merits) and an opposition phase.
Access to grades of staff is usually done through a system of opposition, and only on special occasions by competition or contest. The selection of permanent staff is often made through the competition-opposition system.
2.2 Minimum Requirements to Participate in Selection Tests
To be admitted to the selection tests, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements by the deadline for submission of applications:
- Be Spanish. Citizens of the European Union have access to positions related to research, teaching, health, and mail, as well as other positions as established.
- Be at least 16 years old and not exceed the maximum age of retirement.
- Possess the required qualifications or be able to obtain them by the application deadline.
- Not suffer from any disease or physical defect that impedes the performance of duties, or be disqualified from exercising public functions.
- Not have been separated, through disciplinary action, from the service of any government.