Belgium’s Council of Ministers on Friday approved amendments aimed at making it easier for federal departments to recruit staff, according to Public Service Minister Petra De Sutter.
Five modifications have been approved. Firstly, administrations seeking candidates will be able to activate job offers more quickly. All job offers will now be published and remain viewable on the Selor Internet website, while candidates will be able to obtain exemptions for difficult tests they have already passed.
A fourth amendment makes it easier to take the years of service of selected candidates into account in the salary package they are offered. Finally, administrations will now be able to manage reserve pools with greater flexibility.
The modifications are the first in a series of recruitment reforms in the federal administration, Minister De Sutter said. The main principles, she explained, are “speed, simplified administration and the satisfaction of (candidate) public servants, thanks, for example, to faster digital selection procedures.”
Additionally, the current consultative commission of the federal selection office, Selor, will be transformed into an HR consultative committee that will also include experts from other scientific areas in addition to specialists in the area of Human Resources (HR).
“We want the Federal Administration to become one of the most attractive employers in Belgium,” Ms De Sutter said, reiterating a phrase she used on presenting her policy orientation note.
“This reform of the selection procedures, associated with a redefined employer branding and a modern HR policy, needs to make the federal administration one of the most attractive and most inclusive employers in the country,” she added.
The Brussels Times
