Exclusive to "Old Square". A special project.
Expert view. The State Duma and the Federation Council plan to reduce the number of full-time employees by 10-20%. The cuts are related to cost cutting. The events are carried out within the framework of a decree of the President of the State, which stipulates a reduction of at least 10% in the number of state employees. Is it necessary to "cleanse" the ranks of the bureaucrats, will this attempt be extended to other government bodies and areas - in the next review of the "Old Square".
Director of the Center for Regional Policy Development Ilya Gershchenkov:
I would not call what is happening a complete purge of officials. Instead, we see a new stage in the optimization of the state apparatus, related to several circumstances at the same time. First, it is necessary to reduce budget expenditures in view of the slowdown in economic growth and the increasing burden on public finances. Second, the desire to increase the efficiency of the bureaucratic apparatus, which has become significantly more complex in recent years. Finally, it is a change in the public administration model itself, when digitalization and automation make it possible to gradually reduce the number of administrative jobs.
At the same time, it is important to understand that the country does not need a purge of officials so much as an improvement in the quality of public administration. Reducing mechanical staff by 10-20% does not in itself guarantee efficiency. Several hundred employees can be fired, but in the end with an increase in the burden on those who remain and a decrease in the quality of the decisions made.
As for the expansion of such a practice, this process has actually already begun. However, it is unlikely that they will talk about an all-Russian campaign of mass layoffs. Instead, we will see a gradual update of personnel ranks, elimination of vacancies, redistribution of powers and strengthening of professional training requirements.
Political scientist, expert in information and hybrid threats Artem Akushevsky.