Ageing and the Public Service: Human Resource Challenges

by OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop

Government workforces are ageing even more rapidly than the rest of society. This raises specific challenges and opportunities. An ageing public service increases fiscal burdens while decreasing immediate capacities to deliver services. In the long run, however, it also offers a strategic opportunity to downsize the public sector workforce if necessary and to change employment conditions and the management of government employees where this is deemed reasonable. This book reviews the experience of 9 OECD member countries in this field. It presents some conclusions on strategies that countries could implement in order to adjust their human resource policies to the wider ageing challenge. Table of Content : Executive Summary Part I. Synthesis Report Chapter 1. The Ageing Challenge -1. Ageing Public Sector Workforces in the Context of Ageing Populations -2. Challenges and Opportunities of Ageing for the Management of Public Services Chapter 2. Country Actions -1. How Are Countries Addressing Cost Containment and the Need for Productivity Increases in the Public Service? -2. How Are Countries Addressing the Need to Maintain Capacity? -3. How Are Countries Addressing the Need to Reallocate Resources According to New Priorities? -4. How Are Countries Managing their Public Services so that Departures Do Not Lead to Hiring that Tightens the Wider Labour Market? Chapter 3. Review of Country Strategies -1. Policy Tools -2. Country-Specific Enabling Conditions and Constraints -3. Do Countries Have Holistic Proactive Ageing Strategies? Chapter 4. Towards Sustainable Ageing Strategies for Government -Bibliography - Country Fact Sheets Part II. Case Studies Chapter 5. Ageing and the Public Service in Australia Chapter 6. Ageing and the Public Service in Denmark Chapter 7. Ageing and the Public Service in Finland Chapter 8. Ageing and the Public Service in France Chapter 9. Ageing and the Public Service in Germany Chapter 10. Ageing and the Public Service in Ireland Chapter 11. Ageing and the Public Service in Italy Chapter 12. Ageing and the Public Service in the Netherlands Chapter 13. Ageing and the Public Service in Portugal

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007