Fixing Fiji's civil service

Abstract

Fiji's 'overweight' civil service was the centre of attention of previous regimes, yet not much action was taken to resolve the problem. The attempt by the interim regime to address this problem by implementing a 30 per cent reduction of the civil workforce by 2011 is a bold decision, considering the economic and political uncertainties facing the country. The retirement age and redundancy policies are central measures of the reforms. While the earlier retirement age policy might have an immediate impact, redundancy is expected to be instrumental in the later stage of the process. The interplay between Fiji's institutional setting and the country's civil service culture presents a major test for the policy.