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Public Administration vocabulary · Civil Service and Public Personnel

Civil service

Meaning in public administration, with examples

/ˌsɪvəl ˈsɜːvɪs/nounCore term

In public administration, civil service means: All the permanent, non-political staff who work in government ministries and agencies, seen as one body; also the system of rules for hiring and managing them.

In Turkish: devlet memurluğu, kamu personel sistemi, memuriyet

How it is used

Often written with capitals for a national body, as in the UK Civil Service. People join, enter or leave the civil service, and governments reform it. Common phrases include civil service exam, civil service reform and civil service rules.

Example sentences

  1. He joined the civil service straight after university and now works in the finance ministry.

  2. The report calls for a smaller but better-trained civil service.

Common collocations

  • join the civil service
  • civil service reform
  • civil service exam
  • professional civil service
  • civil servantA permanent employee of a government ministry or public agency who carries out official work and is not chosen through elections or political appointment.
  • merit systemA way of hiring and promoting public employees based on ability, qualifications and performance, often tested through exams, rather than on political connections or personal favours.
  • recruitmentThe process of finding, selecting and hiring new staff, from advertising a post to making a job offer.
  • public sectorThe part of the economy owned, funded or run by the state, including ministries, agencies, local authorities, state schools and hospitals, and state-owned companies.

More terms: Civil Service and Public Personnel

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