Source - Instituto Nacional Estadística, Ministerio Administraciones Públicas.

This is something I was thinking to talk about: the number of public workers or civil servants on Spain. I remember the other day reading an article of Antonio Gala on El Mundo newspaper, and also the different articles and reflections of Roberto Centeno on his blog.

It comes to happen that the civil servants of both, central and autonomic regions administration is a big number in Spain. Accordint to the figures, published by the INE (National Institute of Statistics) and the Ministry of Public Administrations, it happens that there are around 1,3 million public workers on regional administrations. This is without counting the number of advisers that are elected directly by the regional governments leaders, or even provincial leaders, that Mr. Centeno, is about 200.000 people. This is something very painful from the legal and ethical point of view; according to a work of Intereconomía TV, there are places where the regional or provincial administrations are paying to advisers that does not work for this, and are working for the political party; in fact, there are positions that are covered with people that does not have the level of knowledge or training legally required for this position.

On the other hands, there are civil servants that take their post very … lightly or not very seriously. I remember, for example, meeting some of them, on working time, on the bar, on the hairdressers or, simply, shopping; the thing is not to meet them; the issue is that they admit to do so, and they see that as something usual, something that they have the right to do. I know examples on Andalousie, but also on Galicia, Castilla y León, or other autonomic regions. The question is clear: are we paying them? Are we paying also to the brothers or sisters to this or that public employee or public leader to be an adviser or to be in front or any public agency designed ad-hoc? Are we paying this inefficiency?

Taking into account all of this, the conclusion is clear: no to the so called State of autonomies. No to pay a level of civil servants that are, simply, pushing down the GDP on Spain, and also increasing the level of inefficiency, or paying political favors (not to say to favor the family…). One more thing against the State of autonomies.

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