The Professional Career Path and Performance Evaluation among Civil Servants

The treatment of the professional career path and performance evaluation of civil servants occupy a central position in the program of reforms addressed by the Basic Statute for Public Employees. These elements constitute axes for change and renovation for the entire Spanish civil service.

The professional career path, in contradistinction to the previous basic legislation, now takes on the key role it should never have relinquished. This research paper focuses exclusively on its dynamic aspects. Nevertheless, if in addition to the dynamic aspects of the professional career path, we consider its structural issues, it becomes evident that it is truly the backbone of the civil service system, without which it is impossible to understand the system’s essence, achievements, and limitations.

The performance evaluation is a new, completely unknown instrument, riddled with unknowns. It figures to be a vehicle that will enable the evaluation and assessment of professional conduct and employees´ performance or results, and it has enormous potential for influencing very important aspects of the life of civil servants (career path, compensation, training, etc.).