More temporary hirings made by local authorities

The opposition habitually accuses the ruling center-right government of inflating the number of temporary civil servants, despite proclaiming itself to be the champion of a leaner state. A look at the statistics shows this to be partly untrue.

Actually, the number of temporary, or “revocable,” civil servants in the central administration was slightly higher under the previous SYRIZA government. For six out of the 12 months of 2018, it hovered over 1,000, as it also did during the first five months of 2019, reaching a peak of 1,070 in January.

Under the New Democracy government, the number never reached four figures; it stood at 980.

By contrast, temporary appointments in local authorities have increased, with the encouragement of the present government. A law raising the number of such hirings passed in 2020.

Among those favored for these appointments are journalists.