Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The Prime minister has announced a reduction of the number of civil servants in the central administration (Fonction publique de l'Etat) of over 14,500 position by the end of 2020. About 4,500 positions will be cut in 2019 and over 10,000 in 2020. The target of the government is to cut about 50,000 position in the central administration by 2022. The job cuts will be obtained only from non-replacement of retiring employees and voluntary departures. The aim of the restructuring is to meet the reduction of public expenses target, saving 3 points of GDP in 5 years (€ 60 billion) as planned in the current mandate of the President of the Republic.
In 2019, the reductions will focus on the Ministry of Finance, on the public broadcasting services and the Foreign affairs and State external network departments. The government plan also envisages recruitments, in the police (2,000 additional position in the national police, in the Gendarmerie and the DGSI (the General Directorate of Homeland Security) and in the justice department(1,300 positions). This area is a government’s priority to preserve public administration posts necessary to counteract terrorism threats.
Eurofound (2018), Fonction publique d'État, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 95494, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/95494.