Nearly half of Milei’s appointments excused from new hiring rules

Since the inauguration of President Javeir Milei’s government, between new hires, resignations and replacements, more than 1,700 appointments have been made.

According to a survey by Perfil, based on details published in the Official Gazette, more than 780 of those appointed officials are exempt from meeting new minimum hiring requirements  introduced by the Milei administration, such as a university degree, or experience in similar positions. In total, that accounts for 46 percent of the total officials who have joined the state since December 10, 2023.

A few weeks ago, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced that “in line with the streamlining of the state since the beginning of the administration, the government has decided that 40,000 employees, both permanent and temporary, will sit an aptitude test.” Those working at state agencies and bodies will be subjected to the test, which Adorni said is “established in the ‘Ley de Bases’ [reform bill]" and it will take place in December, when their contracts expire.”

Last August 5, Argentina’s government published Resolution 695/24, which regulated the modification of the State Employment Law (25,164). That very day, the Deregulation & State Transformation Ministry explained on social media  that this modification includes “an objective skills test” that “every incoming state employee must sit.” 

Celebrating the measure as “anti-ñoqui” – a local term for employees who only show up to collect their salaries – the portfolio said the test would “avoid political interference in appointments, strengthen the disciplinary regime, avoid the expenditure of resources and facilitate the process of ordering the state.”

Fifty-eight percent of officials appointed by the government just in October do not meet the provisions for their positions.. The attested work experience, university degree or professional specialisation are within the minimum essential requirements.

There are other particular features in hiring rules. The most frequent ones include exempting those with high positions from compliance with “Article 5 f) of the Annex to the Framework State Employment Regulation Law.” This means that officials are exempt from complying with a law that determines those with “an age under pension regulations to collect pensions or other similar benefits” are barred from those positions, “except for people of renowned skill,” which may not be added to permanent staff.

Conversely, for the remaining state employees, the Deregulation & State Transformation Ministry established this week, in Resolution 3/2024, “to order, within no later than THIRTY (30) working days from the publication of this resolution, to the staff meeting the conditions established in Article 19 of Integrated Pension System Law No. 24.241 to start administrative formalities to enter the pension system.”

The decision to force those with the appropriate age and necessary pension contributions to retire would affect an estimated 10,000 people. The measure is grounded, according to the official resolution, on the national public emergency in administrative, economic, financial and energy issues that was declared for a year during the passage of the ‘Ley de Bases’ law and the “administrative reorganisation” set forth under said statute.

According to the latest report by the INDEC national statistics bureau, spanning from December 2023 to August 2024, the number of people working for state agencies dropped from 341,473 to 309,849 – a drop by 33,504 jobs.

On average, the government appointed eight officials a day in the same period.