France, represented by the Directorate General for Administration and the Civil Service (DGAFP) and the École nationale d'administration (ENA), and Belgium, represented by the Policy and Support Federal Public Service, have been chosen to help the Tunisian government modernise its civil service following a European invitation to tender. The support will cover governance, strategic jobs and skills planning, mobility and compensation. Experts from both countries will be involved in the three-year project.

The government has tabled the new version of the Civil Servants (Normalisation of Legal Status) Act (WNRA) which will take effect on 1 January 2020. The flagship change is that newly-recruited civil servants will no longer be appointed but will have an open-ended employment contract. Collective labour agreements will stipulate promotion methods, work organisation and compensation. The only exceptions will be for employees of the police force and the defence organisation, judges and public prosecutors.

An initial survey conducted in 14 European countries, including France, identifies changes to HR practices that are being brought about by the digital transformation. Where does France stand on the importance of initial training, skills acquisition and cultural resistance to change? The authors have made five recommendations to help HR departments improve their culture of innovation.