Public Service Career & Professions Articles
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Who will be the top figures in the next Trump administration?
The US president is responsible for selecting individuals to fill around 4,000 positions across the US federal government. Ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term on 20 January, Global Government Forum shares the latest appointments he has made to the federal government. According to a tracker from the Partnership for Public Service and…
Public service jobs ‘front and centre’ in Australian election contest, says minister
Investment in the government workforce is critical to delivering high-quality public services and proposed job cuts by the opposition Coalition would “devastate communities nationwide” and “cripple essential services”, Australia’s minister for the public service Katy Gallagher said this week. Public service jobs and services are “shaping up to be front and centre of the upcoming…
Boosting skills to drive public service reform in South Africa and Ghana
On a recent Global Government Forum webinar, experts discussed ways to boost skills among public and civil servants. This included how to strengthen values of impartiality, integrity, honesty and objectivity across the workforce. Modernisation of public services depends on both technological innovation and people with the right skills to deliver services that citizens demand in…
Combatting corruption and building an effective workforce: African leaders discuss methods to boost state capacity
Global Government Forum recently hosted its first webinar geared towards African policies and audiences. Panellists from Ghana and South Africa discussed the need to significantly strengthen state capacity and continue to address issues such as corruption and governance. While reformation acts and laws have been enacted since the end of apartheid in the 1990s, South…
A guide to personal statements for public and civil service jobs: how to sell yourself, both on application forms and in person
Recruiting managers may have to sift through hundreds or even thousands of applications, while interviewers are likely to be meeting multiple candidates. So how do you ensure you stand out from the crowd? Writing a short but perfectly formed personal statement or selling yourself at interview in just a few well-chosen words could make all…
A guide to Success Profiles: what recruiters need to know in the UK and beyond
In this guide, we outline what public sector managers and HR professionals need to do to build a merit based, diverse and inclusive workforce Success Profiles are a recruitment framework used within the UK civil service since 2019, which enable an organisation to identify the key skills, knowledge, experience, behavioural competencies and personal attributes required…
US launches Digital Corps to attract young talent
The US government has launched a new fellowship programme for aspiring IT professionals that aims to develop a new generation of tech leaders for the federal public service. The programme – styled the US Digital Corps – will offer two-year, paid fellowships in government departments and agencies to entry-level talent with skills in critical IT…
Australian Public Service launches new professional development academy
The Australian Public Service (APS) has launched a new, service-wide learning and development (L&D) hub to build capabilities and set standards for professional training. The APS Academy aims to foster a “culture of learning” across the service, develop core skills and “drive high performance”, according to plans released last week. “The launch of the academy…
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Discover independent research reports, surveys and in-depth studies from Global Government Forum and knowledge partners, exploring the most important issues facing governments and the public sector. Our research provides practical insights and evidence-based recommendations for senior civil servants, policymakers and public sector leaders. Our reports combine exclusive survey data, expert analysis and interviews with government leaders from around the world to help public sector organisations improve performance, inform policy and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Empowering Public Servants to Make Confident, Informed Decisions with Data and AI
Governments around the world are working hard to extract – and act upon – the insights held in their vast data stores, and to embrace AI and the promise it holds for innovation and transformation. At the same time, economic pressures and constrained budgets are compelling public servants to do more with fewer resources, while governments are called to respond quickly and effectively to complex challenges.
Against this backdrop, data and AI can help those working in government both to streamline their workflows and make fast, informed decisions. This in turn drives efficiency and can unlock productivity gains – and ultimately lead to improved performance and better services for citizens.
Global Government Forum surveyed over 600 civil servants worldwide to understand how data and AI are being used in government decision-making and where there are further challenges and opportunities.
Read this report for insight into how governments are using data and AI in decision-making today and the potential for the future; the major challenges to using data and AI in decision-making and how to overcome them; and how AI agents can be used in decision-making.
The report includes examples of data and AI in decision-making from countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the US, and more.
(Published September 2025)
Making Government Work: Five Pillars of a Modern, Effective Civil Service
Around the world, governments are dealing with substantial challenges – from economic stagnation to the transition to net zero, military conflicts and cyber threats. Governments are also grappling with shifting geopolitics and the rise of populism – and all of these factors are set against the emergence of new technologies, including generative AI, which have the potential to fundamentally transform every aspect of society, but which also pose huge ethical, security and regulatory questions for the public sector.
The Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service report was undertaken to help identify the key characteristics needed in a modern public service, with priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust.
This report has been covered by publications around the world including the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Ottawa Citizen, Fed Manager, the Mandarin and the i newspaper.
(Published August 2024)
The Future of the Finance Ministry
From setting tax rates and financial regulations that create the ground rules for national economies, to allocating – and tracking – spending for public services, finance ministries occupy an essential role at the centre of government. Geopolitical crises have reinforced the importance of finance ministries, as they tackle both immediate shocks and long-term trends such as ageing populations, the digital transition, and the impact of moves to net zero.
Against this backdrop, this global research explores what the future finance ministry looks like and how to prepare for it.
Based on interviews with 10 senior leaders from finance ministries – led by John McCarthy, chief economist in Ireland’s Department of Finance, working with Ian Hall, editor, Global Government Finance, and Richard Johnstone, executive editor, Global Government Forum – the study identifies four key themes: the evolving role of the finance ministry in response to uncertainty; the shift to more flexible finance systems that support outcomes; digital transformation and the growth of AI; and the battle for talent and trust.
(Published May 2026)
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