Governments are under increasing public pressure to improve public services while containing costs. They have to satisfy the demand of civil society and consumers for a greater say on public services and for value for their tax money.

People now acknowledge that without qualified, motivated and committed staff, the State cannot play the role assigned to it: public employees are vital to the reform process. Cutting the civil service will achieve little in terms of quality and effectiveness if attention is not paid to the development of human resources. Human resources development (HRD) involves education and training, recruitment, staffing, performance and career development, pay, working conditions, the environment and terms of employment.

The ILO endorses comprehensive human resource development policies in times of reform. It stresses the need for human resources policies to adhere to democratic principles and to involve consultation between government and public sector workers' representatives.

Public sector reform is most likely to deliver efficient, effective, high-quality services when it is planned and implemented with full participation by public sector workers, their unions and consumers of public services.

We offer training to adapt staff skills to future organizational needs, improve individual job satisfaction, redeploy staff, enhance career and employment prospects and take advantage of technological progress. The final goal is efficient, effective, high-quality services that meet citizens' expectations.

Activities in this area of expertise are conducted by the following training units:

Employment and Skills Development
Social Dialogue
Sustainable Development and Governance