RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/653  
 
13 October 2023  
(23-6967) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
  
SECRETARIAT STAFFING RESOURCES  
COMPRESSED BY INCREASING COSTS AND DECREASING RESOURCES  
BUDGET PROPOSAL 2024 -2025  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  Members have asked for a detailed explanation of what the Secretariat is seeking with respect 
to posts, given that 75 percent of the budget is allocated to staffing. Members have asked for a 
better explanation of Table 10 in document WT/BFA/W/643 and how the Secretariat's request relates 
to which posts will be funded, how new and pressing needs will be addre ssed within the scope of 
that request, and how much of the staffing funding sought relates to mandatory and contractual 
obligations. They have also asked for more detail on the increased cost of posts.  
1.2.  As described below, given increased inflation, rising mandatory staffing costs, 
growing workload, and proven budget cuts/reallocations, the Secretariat is seeking 
funding for slightly fewer posts (630.5) than what Members funded at the beginning of 
Zero Nominal Growth in 2012 (632.5), and will address the 15  new and pressing needs 
from within those 630.5 posts.  
2  BUDGET IN REAL TERMS HAS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY  
2.1.  Since 2012, the Organization's budget has shrunk by CHF 10.3 million in real terms. Inflation 
and mandatory increases in staff remuneration1 have signifi cantly escalated the average cost of a 
post2 compared to 2012. The Secretariat made considerable efforts over the Zero Nominal Growth 
period to reduce staffing costs by reallocating staff wherever possible, freezing salary scales and 
promotions, and repla cing posts at high grades with lower -grade posts, but is unable to achieve 
further savings in light of increased contractual obligations.  
Table 1 Budget in Nominal and Real Terms (in MCHF)3 
Year  2012  2021  2022  2023  
Budget  
(nominal terms)  197.2  197.2  197.2  197.2  
Budget  
(real terms)  197.2  195.6  190.2  186.9  
3  POST COSTS ARE SHARPLY INCREASING  
3.1.  In 2023, the standard cost of a post increased by nearly 6%, growing from CHF 199,000 in 
2012 to CHF 210,000. The standard cost of a post is projected to increase yet further by 3% in 2024 
to CHF 217,000 in 2024 (9% above 2012), and an additional 2% in 2025 to CHF 220,800 (11% 
above 2012).  
 
1 To determine the mandatory adjustment to be made to the WTO Salary Scale each year, the WTO 
salary levels at the midpoint in each grade are compared to the midpoint salary levels in the two comparators: 
the United Nations and the Coordinated Organizations . A 70% weight is applied to the United Nations salary 
levels, with the remaining 30% weight placed on the Coordinated Organizations salary levels. (Appendix 1 to 
Staff Regulations.)  
2 The average cost of a post corresponds to a mid -point of Grade 8.  
3 Calculated based on July inflation rate.  WT/BFA/W/653  
 
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  Figure 1 Standard Post Cost Evolution Since 2012  
 
4  INCREASED COSTS PER PO ST PLUS INFLATION TRANSLATES INTO FEWER FUNDED 
POSTS  
4.1.  The increased cost of posts, coupled with the reduction of the zero nominal growth budget in 
real terms by inflation in recent years, has slashed the Secretariat's ability to fund posts. In 2012 
Members funded 633.5 posts (i.e., 12 posts of the 645.5 posts were kept vacant), which corresponds 
to a normal churn rate in an organization of a comparable size. By contrast, in 2023, the Secretariat 
has had to keep 47 posts unfilled to cover increased staffing c osts. In the absence of a budget 
increase, 65 posts will have to be kept vacant in 2024.  
Figure 2 Funded Posts 2012 -2024  
 
  
WT/BFA/W/653  
 
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  5  THE SECRETARIAT HAS CUT COSTS  
5.1.  The Secretariat has cut spending through the following measures4: 
• Reallocating staff wherever possible5, freezing salary scales and promotions, and replacing posts 
at high grades with lower -grade posts;  
• Slashing actual spending on short term contracts in 2023 by approximately 25% compared to 
2022 through the introduction of disciplines by the Short -Term Needs Committee;  
• Optimizing technical installations reducing consumption of electricity and gas;  
• Optimizing waste collection and cleaning;  
• Reducing IT costs by more than CHF 600,000 (or by 6%) in 2023;  
• Creating  savings on translation costs through the use of new technologies;  
• Creating savings through the elimination of distribution of paper copies of documents;  
• Disciplining travel by using virtual mode for activities whenever possible, combining trips, and 
reduc ing the number of staff on mission;  
• Streamlining conference services costs by maximizing efficiency of smaller support teams; and  
• Renegotiating contract terms with freelance interpreters and translators to reduce costs.  
6  WORKLOAD HAS INCREASED BASED ON OBJECTIVE METRICS  
6.1.  At the same time, the workload of the Organization has increased, as demonstrated by 
objective indicators. For example, the number of meetings per month has jumped by 75 percent 
between January 2017 -October 2018 and January 2021 -July 2023, as  shown in document 
WT/BFA/W/652.6 The number of meetings with interpretation has soared by 58% from 765 in 2012 
to 1207 in 2023, with the lion's share of the increase since 2018. Finally, the number of words 
translated has increased from 21.5 million in 2 015 to almost 25 million in 2023 – an increase of over 
16%, with almost all of that increase since 2019. That figure is projected to grow in the run -up to 
the 13th Ministerial Conference . 
7  BUDGET REQUEST WITH RESPECT TO STAFFING: UNDERTAKE BEST EFFORT TO MANAGE 
INCREASED WORKLOAD WITH A LEVEL  OF FUNDED POSTS  JUST BELOW 2012  
7.1.  For the Secretariat to function and meet Member needs in light of increased workload and staff 
cuts/redeployment, we re quest that the number of funded posts be set at 630.5 posts , a 
level comparable to the Zero Nominal Growth Budget and in fact less than the 632.5 posts 
funded by Members in 2012 . The Secretariat would make its best effort to handle all its increased 
worklo ad within that staffing level. In addition, within that level of funding, the Secretariat would 
also address the 15 new and pressing needs identified in Table 12 of document WT/BFA/W/643 by 
reallocating posts as staff depart or retire and deciding which va cancies not to fill. We emphasize 
that the Secretariat is not seeking additional funding for these 15 pressing needs. Rather, 
they would be absorbed by the 630.5 funded posts.7 
7.2.  The proposed budget for staff remuneration in Table 10 of document  WT/BFA/W/64 3 reflects 
this proposal. In particular, in Table 10, reproduced below as Table 1 and annotated for ease of use, 
the proposed request of CHF  94,738,000 for staff salary in 2024 is based on funding 630.5 posts at 
mid-point of Grade 8. That funding level inc ludes an estimated mandatory salary increase of 2%, 
the regular and mandatory regular increase in salary steps, and other mandatory, contractual costs. 
The remainder of the staffing request relates to putting the Secretariat back to the staffing level of 
 
4 For greater detail, see paras. 1.14 -1.18 of WT/BFA/W/643.  
5 See Table 13 of WT/BFA/W/643.  
6 See WT/BFA/W/462 and WT/BFA/652.  
7 The 645.5 posts authorized but not fully funded by Members in 2012 represents merely a roster of 
posts, not funded posts – even in 2012, only 632.5 were funded. As described in the Secretariat's budget 
proposal (para. 1.33 of WT/BFA/W/643), the Secretaria t proposes a roster of 660.5 posts, but only 630.5 
would be funded, including the 15 new and pressing needs, as described in paragraph 7.1 of this document.  WT/BFA/W/653  
 
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  2012, along with a  one-time increase of the number of promotions to address staff morale 
problems due to the backlog (i.e., 30 additional promotions for 2024, costing CHF 500,000).8  
7.3.  Notably, approximately 45% of the entire proposed budget adjustment for staffing resources 
sought by the Secretariat relates to the mandatory contractual obligations related to staffing. The 
Secretariat is not seeking funding for new posts beyond what had been funded by Members in 2012, 
and the 15  new and pressing needs would b e funded from within the 630.5 posts.  
7.4.  At the same time, there are other non-staffing  mandatory and pressing needs faced by the 
Secretariat, but this note addresses only the staffing -related questions asked by Members during 
the last informal session.  
Table  2 Staff Remuneration  (Table 10 in  WT/BFA/W/643 ) 
(in thousand Swiss Francs)   
 
Line Account Description  2023/  
ZNG 
Budget  2024 
inc/dec 
vs ZNG  2024 
Budget  % 
2024 
vs ZNG  2025 
inc/dec  2025 
Budget  % 
2025 
vs 
2024  
i) Staff Remuneration  Staff / Salary  87,983  6,755  94,738  7.7%  1,600  96,338  1.7%  
  Staff / Annual leave  262 250 512 95.5%    512 0.0%  
  Staff / Overtime  107 0 107 0.0%    107 0.0%  
  Staff / Representation 
Allowance  168 0 168 0.0%    168 0.0%  
i) Staff Remuneration Total   88,520  7,005  95,525  7.9%  1,600  97,125  1.7%  
 
__________  
 
8 The funding for these promotions assumes an average promotion of grade 7 to 8.  598.5 posts  630.5 posts