Minister of Public Administration Maraš Dukaj said that party employment remains the biggest problem in society.
"Party recruitment did not start yesterday, this government did not start it, but the explosion continues," Dukaj said in the show Načisto on Television Vijesti.
He pointed out that this has been a decades-old problem and that it is not a problem at the state level, and that the analysis showed that the level of party employment is higher at the local level.
"This is a practice that must be stopped because if it continues like this, we will sink further and further because we have crossed all limits," said Dukaj.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Vladimir Joković said that the employment situation is now "incomparably better than before."
"Previously, it was known that the competitions were rigged and that those who were not eligible could not pass, so they did not apply. Now, about ten times more people apply for the competitions," said Joković.
Marko Sošić from the NGO Institute Alternative pointed out that since 2020, nothing has been done in the field of employment in the fight against the rationalization of public administration or the fight against party employment.
"No systemic act has been made that would convince us that all these governments have had this goal so far. Not only has nothing been done, but representatives of some governments have actively worked against the optimization of jobs... Today we are in a situation where we have a public sector that is more numerous than ever and more expensive than ever. We have about 80.000 people working in the public sector, every third employee in Montenegro works in the public sector...", said Sošić.
Vuk Maraš from BIRN said the situation is worse.
"During the previous regime, we did not have the oaths of honesty and the fight for some values that we have heard from the then-discredited opposition. When they came to power, they rushed to load up the state administration more than the DPS ever thought of. They need to make permanent contracts in the state administration for loyalists, and rig the competitions that have turned into a circus," Maraš assessed.
According to data from the Ministry of Public Administration, there are currently 47.284 employees in public enterprises at the central level, and 7.092 at the local level, but this number is not final because it does not include the number of employees not directly funded by the state.
Dukaj said that in compared to 2021, more than 3.000 employees excluding public institutions and public enterprises.
Maraš said that from 3.300 employees in the energy sector when DPS left power, there were 2023 employees at the end of 5.009.
Dukaj said that it is clear that there is an excess number of employees in public administration, but also that there is a "shortage of personnel in various institutions."
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