Recruitment and selection are central to workforce capability, organisational performance and the delivery of effective public services. In a context of evolving skill requirements, technological change and increasing labour market competition, public administrations need to adopt more strategic and forward-looking approaches to attract and select talent. This paper brings together robust research evidence on recruitment and selection, alongside an analysis of advanced practices in selected OECD countries, to establish a foundation for assessing current systems in Western Balkan and EU Eastern Neighbourhood administrations. Drawing mainly on SIGMA assessments, it identifies persistent weaknesses and uneven levels of professionalism and effectiveness. The analysis highlights the need to strengthen the professionalisation of the human resource management function, improve job-relatedness and predictive validity of personnel assessment methods, and enhance strategic workforce planning, public service employer branding and data use. Overall, the paper argues that more evidence-based and adaptable systems are essential to ensure public administration remains fit for purpose.
Merit‑based civil service recruitment and selection in the Western Balkans and EU Eastern Neighbourhood
Abstract
Contents
Conceptual framework for recruitment and selection: an evidence-based approach
Presents key concepts and existing research evidence on what works regarding effective recruitment, valid individual selection procedures and their combination, as well asthe role of artificial intelligence. It also considers equality of opportunity and integrity safeguards, alongside legal and professional standards for fair and effective candidate assessment.
Recruitment and selection in practice: selected OECD countries, Western Balkan administrations, the EU Eastern Neighbourhood
Examines institutional arrangements, HR planning and job requirements, recruitment and selection methods and processes for different roles, professional capacities for candidates’ assessment, and appointment and appeal mechanisms. It also addresses the use of information technologies, equality of opportunities, onboarding, and quality management practices.
Conclusions and recommendations
Provides guidance on institutional and governance aspects, pre-conditions such as workforce planning, the precise definition of job requirements, and the need to build internal capacities on personnel assessment. It highlights improving recruitment through a strong employer brand and a focus on candidates’ needs. It emphasises evidence-informed, job-relevant and flexible assessment methods adapted to different roles, as well as the need to continuously monitor recruitment system performance and use the findings for improvement.
Evidence-informed recruitment and selection to address increasing capability challenges
Evidence-informed and forward-looking recruitment and selection practices are essential to help ensure that public administrations deliver better policies and services to citizens. Evidence shows that recruitment is more effective when organisations build a strong employer brand, use attractive websites and provide realistic information on the job and working conditions, including pay and benefits. Effective selection systems require identifying the attributes associated with successful performance and applying professionally designed and validated assessment methods.
Evidence from selected OECD countries
Best practice examples of civil service recruitment systems are those set in firm legal and principle frameworks with a strong commitment to professionalism, fairness and continuous improvement. Multi-annual workforce plans linked to the budget are in place and form the basis for recruitment decisions.
Recruitment is grounded in detailed job descriptions and profiles, underpinned by competency or capability frameworks that are regularly updated. Comprehensive repertoires of assessment tools with proven validity to predict performance are available and flexibly combined, considering job-relatedness, procedure, number of candidates, job level, and resource or time constraints.
Civil service recruitment and selection in the Western Balkans in the context of EU accession
All Western Balkan administrations in the process of EU accession have central recruitment portals that are user-friendly and allow for online application but they have not yet developed robust workforce planning, public-service brands and recruitment strategies, and vacancy announcements remain highly formalistic. This exacerbates the difficulties to attract sufficient qualified candidates in some administrations, and their ability to fill announced vacancies.
Selection systems follow pre-determined sequences established in regulations, with limited differentiation by job type, and still include general knowledge tests at initial stages. Limited professional-assessment capacity constrains selection quality.
Civil service recruitment and selection in the EU Eastern Neighbourhood
Four good practices stand out in the region. First, a specialised team of work and organisational psychologists in Azerbaijan, and their role in ensuring the quality of assessment procedures. Second, more structured approaches to onboarding in Armenia and Moldova, including induction training and the designation of mentors or onboarding co-ordinators. Third, the systematic training of interview assessors conducted by the State Examination Centre of Azerbaijan, and the initial steps in this direction taken by Moldova in 2025. Fourth, also in Azerbaijan, the training of staff assisting candidates with disabilities during selection.
Nevertheless, selection systems continue to rely heavily on general knowledge exams, and in several cases, selection panels remain vulnerable to political influence. These limitations reduce the effectiveness and fairness of recruitment systems. In Ukraine, the prolonged suspension of competitive recruitment under martial law has led to the widespread non-application of competitive and merit-based procedures over an extended period, due to simplified and largely discretionary appointments even though these are time-limited.
Way forward
Recruitment and selection systems in the Western Balkan and EU Eastern Neighbourhood administrations analysed would be strengthened by further enhancing the professionalism of the HRM function, including the gradual integration of in-house specialists in assessment and selection where they do not exist. Specialist teams could design and administer assessment methods, support their implementation, oversee outsourced services, monitor outcomes, and provide training to selection panels and assessors.
A gradual transition from annual vacancy lists towards annual and multi-annual strategic workforce planning would strengthen the link between organisational objectives and staffing and skills needs. At a minimum, strategic workforce plans could include a medium-term staffing outlook, the identification of critical roles and skills, an analysis of gaps, labour-market conditions and the intended mix of responses. This would provide a more solid basis for determining recruitment priorities.
HRM information systems should be further developed and integrated to support workforce planning and end-to-end digital recruitment and selection. This would improve efficiency and candidate experience and support analytical monitoring and quality management.
The effectiveness and professionalism of recruitment and selection systems are strongly conditioned by the quality of job classification, job descriptions and competency frameworks. Vacancy announcements would be more effective if they moved beyond formal aspects and consistently provided realistic, job-related information and a comprehensive employee value proposition focused on candidates’ needs. Standardising minimum content requirements covering job purpose, duties, required competencies, salary ranges, working conditions, development opportunities, other forms of organisational supportiveness, and information on the selection procedure would strengthen candidates’ perceived fit and increase the attraction of qualified candidates.
This requires a conceptual shift from a still-prevalent focus on what candidates know at the time of selection towards assessing their capacity to learn, adapt and perform effectively in complex and evolving public administration environments. Effective systems increasingly focus on candidates’ abilities and core, transferable competencies that underpin performance across a wide range of public administration roles. By contrast, selection systems that place strong emphasis on testing knowledge of specific legal provisions, administrative procedures or technical tools risk prioritising competencies that may quickly become obsolete and that are more effectively developed through induction and on-the-job learning. Administrations should therefore reduce reliance on general knowledge examinations not directly related to job performance.
Selection effectiveness would be enhanced by differentiating assessment approaches not only by job category but also by specific job type and other contextual factors, particularly the expected size of applicant pools.
Greater use of work samples, situational judgement tests and structured behavioural interviews professionally developed and validated would improve predictive validity and candidate acceptance. Clear communication of assessment methods, sequencing and job-relatedness, along with preparation materials and feedback where feasible, would strengthen candidate confidence and perceived fairness. Selection procedures should provide candidates with multiple opportunities to demonstrate relevant, job-related skills and competencies.
Strengthening the professional composition of selection, free from political influence, is essential to ensure the quality, fairness and consistency of candidate assessment. Selection panels would benefit from clearer rules ensuring balanced composition, combining assessment specialists, managers, representatives with technical knowledge of the role and, where appropriate, independent or centrally certified members. Political authorities or politically appointed people should have no role in establishing or operating selection panels or assessing candidates.
Mandatory training for panel chairs and, progressively, all panel members would strengthen reliability and consistency. Certification or accreditation of assessors could be considered in more decentralised systems.
Equality of opportunity contributes not only to fairness but also to recruitment effectiveness. It would be strengthened by introducing clear procedures enabling candidates with disabilities to request reasonable accommodation, and ensuring consistent implementation across institutions. Job-relatedness should be the primary safeguard when considering methods that may generate higher adverse impact, while systems would benefit from routine monitoring of pass rates and outcomes by candidate-relevant characteristics at each stage, complemented by periodic reviews where disparities appear.
Quality management in recruitment and selection could gradually move from procedural compliance towards more analytical and evidence-based approaches.
Existing monitoring already generates substantial administrative data in some administrations. Over time, this could be complemented by a small set of quality indicators (pass rates by stage, duration of selection phases, cost-per-hire, basic candidate and managers’ feedback) to support targeted improvements and better align monitoring with quality management objectives.
