One in six civil servants considering quitting, partly due to work environment

One in six civil servants intend to leave the government in the foreseeable future, up from one in seven last year. Among officials who work for the central government, it is even one in five. The working atmosphere and development opportunities are the main reasons civil servants consider a non-government job, according to an annual survey by Bureau Berenschot and Binnenlands Bestuur.

Civil servants working for the central government are the least happy, closely followed by the provinces, with 21 and 20 percent respectively considering a switch to the private sector. Civil servants at municipalities and water boards are happier, with 16 and 14 percent thinking about a career change.

Last year, under the Rutte IV government, the ever-increasing workload was the main reason for civil servants to look for a private sector job. This year, the workload dropped to fifth place. Under the Schoof I Cabinet, civil servants are most unhappy with the working atmosphere and the lack of development opportunities. Salary and the role of their superiors are in third and fourth place.

Approximately half of the civil servants who want to leave the government would do so for a higher salary. One in three said their relationship with their superior was a reason for them to leave. Most civil servants aren’t actively job hunting, but 56 percent would not let a good opportunity pass them by. “Only 31.5 percent said that they are not currently looking for another job,” Binnenlands Bestuur said.