UNAIR NEWS – Civil servant candidates (CPNS) and contract-based government employees (PPPK) were reportedly flocked to resign after being declared qualified. Satya Pratama, the Head of the Legal, Public Relations and Cooperation Bureau of the State Civil Service Agency (BKN), mentioned that the main reason behind the withdrawal was the salary and work placements.

Responding to this issue, The Human Resource Professor of Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), Prof Dr Jusuf Irianto Drs MCom, explained that this is a fascinating phenomenon.

“The civil servant position became the target for job seekers back then. Now, there are other more interesting choices of jobs and professions. Today the public sector (government, ed) compete with other sectors (private companies, ed) in acquiring talented human resources willing to cooperate in achieving set goal and target,” stated Prof Jusuf.

According to Jusuf, the government must have the right strategy to acquire the best and most talented Human Resources. The goal is to support excellent public service as the core business of the public sector.

Effective management system

Prof Jusuf said that almost every employer has designed a management system and a more effective HR improvement. These include developing a conducive and supportive culture and leadership, changing workplace look according to the level of the digitalization era by using advanced technology, and a more flexible work system.

Furthermore, many employers also provide a more attractive organizational policy scheme. For example, tempting salary package, just remuneration, and more challenging work. This was meant to attract potential human resources so they would be willing to work together even if only being a staff or placed in a management-level position.

“If government bureaucracy as workplace did not transform, do not be hopeful for millennials and generation Z who are dominant in the labour market have a strong preference to join or work in public sectors. They will prefer to choose a workplace that is in line with the current generation’s character,” said the lecturer in the Public Administration Department.

The necessity of the government’s response

Prof Jusuf emphasized that the government must respond to this phenomenon wisely, reflect, and realize that the era is changing. Millennials’ character or the new era is different from an old era or the ‘colonial’ generation characters. The government must learn a lesson from this backing out event of CPNS and PPPK.

Regarding the possibility in the future, whether the civil servant will still be of interest to the young generation or the opposite, the lecturer, who is also the Vice Dean I of FISIP UNAIR, stated that there is open possibility in the future that would happen in line with development.

“Therefore, the government must adapt to every change and be ready to build the right policy and strategy. The government must be agile, dynamic, and responsive about every possibility of change,” Jusuf concluded. (*)

Author: Rafli Noer Khairam

Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh