The last public employment offer leaves a revealing fact after years of record figures: Spain needs more officials

In recent years, the Pedro Sánchez government has promoted public employment calls that have broken historical figures for the number of public employment places. However, the new Public Employment Offer (OPE) for 2025 that has just known a turning point marks.

Although it will have 36,588 new places, this figure represents a reduction with respect to the previous calls, and shows a worrying reality: the lack of personnel in the administration.

New call 2025. The New Public Employment Offer presented by the Executive contemplates a total of 36,588 places, which represents a decrease of 9% with respect to the 2024 offer that was 40,146 places. Specifically, the number of places corresponding to the General State Administration is reduced mainly, which this year adds 26,889 positions, that is, 4,500 less than the previous year. This marks a change of trend against the years in which the calls carried the label of “historical” for its volume of places.

The Independent Trade Union and Officials (CSIF) summarize it Clearly: “The places are insufficient to cover the losses accumulated in the administration of the State in recent years”, in addition to the majority union of the officials, they slide that the absence of new budgets and the freezing of funds of the European Union are already noticed in this call.

Distribution by bodies and lack of personnel. Among the bodies that will be reinforced their workforce are the State Security Forces and Bodies. According to official data, the National Police Corps will have 3,139 new places, 300 more than the previous year, while the Civil Guard will add 555, reaching a total of 3,713 new places. The army too It will increase its template In 2025, with the incorporation of 2,847 new troops, 200 more than in the previous year.

For its part, the Central Administration will have 20,324 new free access places, which will add 6,565 internal promotion places, which must be covered with part of the new 20,324. In that quota, 8,851 places of new allocation are also included to strengthen citizen service services in the offices of the SEPE, foreigners, cadastre, issuance of the DNI, DGT, Social Security or Tax Agency.

The challenge of the generational relief. Since the current government arrived at La Moncloa, he says have summoned 260,000 public employment places. As Minister Óscar López highlighted in the presentation of the OPE by 2025, this leaves an average of 32,522 annual public places. Even with that effort, the reality is that the structural needs of employment in the public sector continue to be effective.

As reflected in the EPA data (Active Population Survey) of the first quarter of 2025, for the first time since 2018, public employment registers a decrease of 51,900 people in its template. Thus, although the calls try to compensate for accumulated casualties, the balance is still negative.

One of the main challenges facing the administration is to absorb the Retirements planned for the next decade. According to collected data In the study on the aging of the templates in the General State Administration 2024, 59.95% of the staff of the General State Administration is over 55 years old. This aging forces the administration to Compensate retirement that each year occur, with new additions. In 2023, for example, the number of retirement was 10,758 officials, while only 8,770 new officials were incorporated to cover those places, leaving a deficit of 1,988 positions that were not covered that year.

Below the average public employment in the OECD. Internationally, the data does not accompany. According to the report ‘Government at A Glance 2025’ Of the OECD, Spanish public employment represented in 2023 15.25% of the total active population, below the average of 18.41% of the OECD countries.

In addition, despite the increase in the number of places, the Public Employment Growth It has been developed at the same rate as private employment, without equating the boom that other countries have applied to balance essential public services.

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Image | Flickr (Treball Generalitat de Catalunya