An Exploratory Study of Government Internal Labor Market in Taiwan: Balance of Interest between Individuals and Organizations*
Bennis Wai-Yip So**
Abstract
This article analyzes the cross-agency (cross-profession) mobility of civil servants in the government internal labor market. In-depth interviews with staff members from nationwide governments, different levels of agencies and class series, and those recruited through different levels of general examinations and special examinations for local governments were conducted to explore their motivations of transfer, orientation and skill of transfer, responses of their higher-ups, and their reflections on the mobility phenomenon. The analysis underscores the struggle between organizational and individual interests, and helps to facilitate reflections on the design of the government personnel system in Taiwan.
This study finds that the government internal labor market in Taiwan is oriented towards an “employee-centered” mechanism that promotes individual interest at the expense of organizational interest. Job mobility in principle can help broaden job experience and improve job performance. But in fact the mobility is, to a large extent, motivated by negative factors, reflecting the “withdrawal behavior” of the staff and the lack of workforce planning. Therefore, the mobility tends to have a harmful effect on the government.
This study suggests that the mechanism of the internal labor market should not give too much favor to individuals. The institutional design should try to exclude the abuse of the mechanism and close all loopholes incurring opportunism. At the same time, the tense relationship between individuals and organizations/superior officials should be adequately mitigated.
Keywords: internal labor market, job mobility, job transfer, class series
* This study is sponsored by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 104-2410-H-004-095-MY2). The draft of this paper was presented to the International Conference of Taiwan Association for Schools of Public Administration and Affairs 2017 – Innovation and Reform of Public Administration (2 June 2017).
** Professor, Department of Public Administration, National Chengchi University, e-mail: bennisso@nccu.edu.tw.