Mobility allows the public service to move the right people with the right skills into the right roles to meet the demands of the moment, and to be better prepared for the demands of the future. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for such flexibility in times of crises. Mobility can facilitate multi-disciplinary approaches to addressing complex issues and permit the pooling of scarce resources and skills from across government. Mobility can also help attract and retain public servants, as the traditional model of a linear career path within a single organisation, field or profession is either as common as it was, nor desired, among many current and potential public servants. Mobility also allows administrations to develop skillsets in-house, by allowing public servants to have more varied and flexible career paths, and can contribute to the development of diverse teams that can help spur public sector innovation.
Internal lateral mobility (moving people from one job to another at the same hierarchical level) is possible for most public servants in all OECD countries. It is however mandatory or expected in only 3 out of 35 OECD countries (9%; Austria, Costa Rica and Japan), and recommended or encouraged in about one-third (11 out of 35, 31%). The numbers are slightly higher for senior level public servants, for whom mobility is recommended or encouraged in 14 out of 35 OECD countries (40%) (Figure 13.1). In the Netherlands for example, the top management is expected to change positions every 5-7 years.
Internal lateral mobility can take different forms, requiring different tools to be put in place. The most common are short-term assignments, used by 34 out of 35 OECD countries (97%), and longer-term secondments, used by 32 out of 35 OECD countries (91%). Short-term assignments to other entities within the public service are possible in 31 out of 35 OECD countries (89%) and within the same entity in 28 out of 35 OECD countries (80%). Longer-term assignments are possible to other entities within the public service in 25 out of 35 OECD countries (71%) and internationally in 23 out of 35 OECD countries (66%, Table 13.2). International mobility is an important mechanism for developing skills to address multi-lateral challenges and foster international collaboration. The United Kingdom uses micro-assignments, short-term assignments and longer-term assignments within the public service, to sub-national levels of government and internationally.
While the data show that most OECD countries offer public servants the possibility of temporary mobility, they do not show the actual take up, nor whether mobility is used to achieve strategic objectives such as employee development or to address skills shortages. While the movement of people will always entail some short-term cost, if it is well managed, with adequate oversight and managerial processes to mitigate risks, it is an effective way to achieve strategic people management (OECD, 2023).
