*Olivier Babeau is president of the Sapiens Institute, founder of the Rencontres des Sablons. Latest work
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“
The Tyranny of Entertainment
” (Buchet-Chastel).
By announcing the possibility of making layoffs in the public service, the Minister of Transformation and Civil Service, Stanislas Guerini, has undeniably launched a courageous idea. But such a measure would only be a symbol without real significance if it is not part of a much broader reform of the civil service.
What is the problem ? France maintains a much higher number of public officials than all comparable countries: we have 85 civil servants per 1000 inhabitants, compared to 56 per 1000 in Germany. This number has grown much faster than the population over the past thirty years. According to Fipeco, if we start from a base of 100 in 1997, while the population is only at 114 in 2021, the local civil service (excluding transfers of state personnel) is at 145 and the civil service …