Adorni says 40,000 contracted state workers will face 'suitability test'

Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced Thursday that the national government will implement a “suitability test” for 40,000 state employees on temporary contracts – and that those who fail it will be fired.

The introduction of the test, of which details remain scarce at present, comes amid massive budget cuts introduced by the Javier Milei administration. 

According to the government, its examination is a move to establish standards for those who work in the civil service. 

The test will be mandatory for all state employees whose contracts expire on December 3.

The signing of contracts is a common practice locally, where so-called “permanent employees” coexist alongside others whose contracts are renewed every year. Some can remain in that precarious situation for decades.

Speaking at his daily press conference on Thursday, Adorni said the test would be part of a wider process that would see potential state employees declare potential conflicts of interest and undergo a medical examination. 

Adorni explained that the exam would take place online, with the aim of eliminating any subjectivity in the process.

“This is established in the ‘Ley de Bases’ [mega-reform law], in the framework of the regulatory decree of public employment,” said Milei's spokesperson.

“It will be a necessary but not sufficient requirement since, of course, the renewal or not of  a contract will be defined by the usual parameters of whether the person deserves the renewal,” the spokesperson added.

Exams are scheduled to take place in December, coinciding with the expiry date of current contracts, said Adorni. He said all contracted staff would have to pass the test if their work is to be renewed.

Adorni added that in this first stage, disabled workers will be excluded from the evaluation, “since the systems require additional adaptation.”

The assessment represents a step towards further formalisation and professionalisation of the state workforce, said Adorni.

The measure announced by the national government spokesperson is part of a series of modifications to the public employment system already established by Decree 695/2024, enacted in August this year. It introduced a ‘General Assessment of Knowledge and Skills’ for all applicants seeking state work.

Appointed employees will be required to submit a sworn statement of assets and employment history when required, and no appointment will be made without a medical certificate confirming fitness. 

In addition, an employee's performance will be evaluated on an ongoing basis, and in order to be promoted, he or she will have to undergo further evaluations.

Since he took office, Milei has initiated a sweeping reorganisation process for state staff, terminating thousands of contracts in the process. 

New rules have also been introduced, including sanctions for non-compliance with duties, late arrivals and absences.

The state has been dramatically downsized, with Milei downgrading the Women, Gender & Diversity Ministry and Education Ministry, as well as shuttering the INADI anti-discrimination institute and a body focused on indigenous affairs.

“We have already laid off 50,000 public employees and we are going to lay off 50,000 more,” the President claimed in June at a business forum.

“In terms of contracts, we are going to end up laying off 75,000 people, we have already laid off 25,000,” he said at the time.

In a report to Congress by Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos earlier this year, the government said that up to June it had laid off 26,600 employees and hired 2,700.

State workers’ unions criticised the news. “After 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years of work, do they want to take an exam? The exam should be for the spokesperson!” said the secretary general of the Association of State Workers (ATE), Rodolfo Aguiar, on the X social network.

– TIMES/NA/AFP