Managing Government Wages and Employment

Posted by Teresa Curristine and Mercedes Garcia-Escribano[1]

Government wage and employment policies have important social and economic implications. The government is the major employer in many countries, delivering key public services and typically spending around 25 percent of its budget on the wage bill (See Chart 1). Given its sizable budget weight, how the wage bill is managed heavily influences the sustainability of public finances, the quantity and quality of key public services, and as governments are major employers, private sector pay and employment.

Job Offers: UNICEF New York Seeks Public Finance Specialist

Posted by Matthew Cummins [1]

UNICEF Headquarters in New York is looking for a Public Finance Specialist to join its Public Finance and Governance Team.

The purpose of the position is to support UNICEF country and regional offices in their efforts to leverage greater, more effective and equitable domestic public investments in children. This role will provide technical, knowledge management and staff capacity development support to UNICEF field engagements in the area of public finance for children (PF4C) across all sectors, with specific attention to the health programmatic context.

The complete details and application process can be found through this link: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=498454

Note that the deadline to apply is August 24, 2016.

[1] Matthew Cummins is a Policy Specialist in the Public Finance and Governance Unit, UNICEF New York

Please check in with the PFM Blog's Job Board Page frequently to learn about the latest opportunities for PFM positions. 

Job Offers: Regional Public Financial Management Advisor for South Asia, based in New Delhi, India

Job Number:1600720

Advertising Department: Fiscal Affairs Department

Description

The Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund is seeking two experienced public financial management (PFM) experts for the IMF’s South Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) that will start its operations in early 2017. SARTTAC to be located in New Delhi, India will provide training and technical assistance support to six South Asian countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The advisors will coordinate and deliver technical assistance (TA) to ministries of finance and related institutions in these countries, including the sub-national level in India. They will support modernization of fiscal management, budget planning and execution, and institutional capacity development in these countries. The advisors will need to liaise effectively both with senior officials, technical staff, and other TA providers. The advisors will be appointed for and initial period of one year, with possible renewal for a maximum period of four years. They will work under the administrative control of the SARTTAC Director and technical supervision of the Fiscal Affairs Department.

Managing the Wage Bill in Southern Africa

Posted by Imran Aziz[1]

AFRITAC South[2], in collaboration with the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF, held a regional seminar on Government Compensation and Employment from June 20 to 23, 2016.  The event was hosted by the Africa Training Institute in Mauritius, and brought together government officials from Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The seminar focused on the conceptual framework presented in the IMF’s recently published board paper “Managing Government Compensation and Employment – Institutions, Policies, and Reform Challenges”. The lectures and group sessions were structured on strengthening the key institutions that underpin the effective management of wage bill spending. A well-designed system requires adequate fiscal planning to ensure appropriate financing of the wage bill, competitive compensation to attract and retain skilled staff and incentivize performance, and the flexibility to adjust the level and compensation of employment to reach efficient levels.