Flexible internal labor market of civil service in Taiwan: decentralized job mobility fuelled by a centralized career-based system

Abstract

近年來不同國家皆鼓勵公部門的工作流動，以多樣化及提升員工的知識、經驗及技能。本研究正是欲透過臺灣經驗評估其效果，因為臺灣擁有高度彈性化的政府內部人力市場，其容許相對開放的縱向及橫向工作流動。本研究指出，臺灣的政府內部人力市場對員工十分友善，可為國留才。然而，這寬鬆的跨機關人力流動之代價為嚴重的內部人力流失。透過比較臺灣正式公務人員與政府約聘僱人員行為及態度可發現，存在著彈性化的內部人力市場無可避免地造成轉調取向上的「釋放效應」。

Job mobility has recently been promoted in the public sector across countries as a way to diversify and enhance staff knowledge, experience, and skills. This paper evaluates its effect through the experience of Taiwan that boasts a highly flexible government internal labor market. The market allows for relatively open upward and lateral job mobility. This paper shows that Taiwan has an employee-friendly government internal labor market that helps retain talent for the state. However, the cost of a deregulated crossagency manpower movement is a serious internal brain drain. By comparing the behavior and attitude between statutory civil servants and government contract employees in Taiwan, this paper posits that the availability of a flexible internal labor market inevitably causes a “footloose effect” on turnover decision.