WRITTEN QUESTION E-0144/02

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 February 2002)

Subject: Job vacancy rate in the Commission staff

What is the current vacancy rate in the Commission staff?

Could the Commission give results DG by DG?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(18 March 2002)

At the end of 2000, 480 Commission posts were vacant. This represented 2,8 % of the total number of permanent and temporary posts in the establishment plan of the operating budget of the Institution. It was the lowest rate over the past six years and obviously near to the 2 % which the Commission considers to be the lowest possible vacancy rate on the basis of current recruitment procedures.

The conclusions of the extensive Peer Group review exercise which had the purpose of enabling the Commission to match tasks with human resources more effectively and efficiently the Budgetary Authority granted to the Commission 400 new posts in 2001 and 317 new posts in 2002. For this reason alone, the Commission has been faced in 2001 and will still be faced in 2002 with an unusually high number of vacant posts. Since there are not enough successful candidates on reserve lists to fill these posts immediately, a large number of competitions were launched in 2001.

The number of vacant posts decreased significantly in 2001: it went from 1 062 on 1 January 2001 to 660 on 31 December 2001. This represents 3,7 % of the total number of permanent and temporary posts in the establishment plan of the operating budget, which is lower than the objective (695 vacant jobs) set by the Commission at the beginning of 2001.

For the year 2002, as the Honourable Member will know, the Budgetary Authority agreed to 317 new posts for the Commission and also to the transformation of 60 temporary posts into permanent posts. 25 extra posts also became available by transforming credits into posts. As a result, in 2002 the establishment plan increased by 302 permanent A posts and by 100 permanent B posts.

The allocation of new posts led to a marked increase in the rate of vacant posts, mainly in the A and B categories:

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During 2001 the Commission launched 16 competitions to fill vacant posts, in particular to select candidates with specific profiles and competencies as described by the Peer Group(1). Another 6-10 competitions are still underway or are in the preparatory stages.

In the A category, these competitions will yield 225 new candidates in taxation, customs, audit and human resources in the first part of 2002. Between November 2002 and January 2003, a second wave of competitions will result in 960 candidates in the External Relations and Aid to third countries, Audit, Justice and Home Affairs/civil & criminal law, building policy, logistical and operational management, economics/statistics and legal affairs.

In the B category, recent competitions yielded approximately 410 candidates on the reserve lists in Accounting, Financial Management, Audit and Informatics. In the first part of 2002, 65 candidates will be available in Customs. At the end of 2002/beginning 2003, another wave of competitions will result in 500 candidates in Human Resources and in Financial Management, as well as for posts of archivist/documentalist and proofreader.

Since most of the competitions will be finalised in 2002, it will be possible to significantly increase the occupancy rate of the establishment plan by the end of 2002. The Commission has set itself a target of only 400 vacant posts as soon as the candidates from these competitions have been recruited (late 2002, early 2003). As a transitional measure the Commission will hire temporary staff to occupy vacant permanent posts until qualified candidates from competitions become available.

The detailed breakdown of vacant posts per Directorate-General as of 4 February 2002 will be sent directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's secretariat.

(1) Communication from the Commission of 26 July 2000.