Managing the Public Sector Wage Bill during COVID-19

World Bank

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: PUBLIC SECTOR WAGES;    EMPLOYMENT;    STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES;    LABOR MARKET;    PUBLIC EXPENDITURE;   

RP-ID  :  151604

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisisis unique and requires tough policy choices for managing thepublic sector wage bill to best achieve the difficultbalance between fiscal consolidation, protection of livesand livelihoods, service delivery, and job restoration. Inthe emergency phase, the priority should be on protectinglives and livelihoods. Short-term measures will likelyincrease the wage bill. As a result, in the recovery andresilience phase, priority must be given to fiscalconsolidation, the reduction of labor market distortionsthat may hurt private sector job creation, and an increasein the productivity of the public sector so that moreoutputs are produced per worker. To these ends, the noteprovides suggestions that countries can adapt based on theircircumstances and given that they entered this crisis fromdifferent starting points: emergency phase: protect publicsector employment and wages, increase staffing for essentialfunctions, and provide adequate compensation for essentialworkers; and recovery and resilience phase: monitor thepublic sector wage premium, curtail high pay and removedistortionary allowances, build staffing flexibility andagility, emphasize compensation and management reforms toimprove productivity, and leverage technology and data for decision-making.