Presidents, governors, mayors and ministers are public officials.
A public servant is a person who holds a public office . This is a worker who performs duties in a state agency. For example: “A journalist reported three officials for threats” , “An official from Buenos Aires was prosecuted for corruption” , “My uncle is a municipal government official” .
Those who work as civil servants usually have a very different employment contract than those in the private sector. Typically, civil servants have more favourable conditions (reduced hours, longer holidays, greater job security) to prevent the best men from working in the private sector and to ensure that they remain at the service of society in general through state agencies.
Public officials
Democratic states governed by the rule of law usually have specific mechanisms in place to ensure that the hiring of public officials is objective and carried out on the basis of merit. Public competitions for the assignment of posts are common, although not essential, as they depend on the type of work to be performed.
Ministers , secretaries of state , governors , mayors and presidents are public officials: “As a public official, the Minister of Economy should maintain good form and be respectful of the opposition” , “The Secretary of Commerce is a public official of this government and, as such, must be loyal to the president” .
In some countries, the term "official" is used to refer to any high-ranking employee , even those who work outside the orbit of the State: "An official from an Australian company said that the accusations of contamination are unfounded."
States generally have specific mechanisms in place to ensure that civil servants are hired on merit.
Classification according to the type of contract and the tasks performed
In Spain , there are different types of civil servants, which are created according to different criteria.
* According to their contract and the tasks they perform
Career civil servant
These are individuals who work permanently for the public administration and who have successfully passed a selection or competitive examination process. It should be noted that the existence and permanence of the positions occupied by these officials depend on specific budgets.
Acting Official
These are those who carry out temporary services occupying positions intended for career civil servants, with contracts that do not exceed six months in duration per year. Their collaboration usually begins when there is an excess of work accumulated in the Administration, and ends when it is no longer necessary.
Temporary staff
These are workers whose collaboration with the Administration is never permanent, but are hired to carry out very specific tasks (generally related to advice) that are not carried out by civil servants. Their employment relationship ends according to a prior agreement and payment of compensation is not required.
Staff
This category includes all employees who provide services to the Public Administration and receive a salary for doing so. The type of contract they sign may be permanent, temporary or for an indefinite period.
Officials according to their previous training and their work
Group A
The bodies or levels for which a university degree is required, specifically that of a senior engineer, graduate, doctor or architect. Their functions include senior management and direction.
Group B
Requires a Higher Technical degree or a university diploma. They are dedicated to management and execution.
Group C
Requires possession of a Higher Baccalaureate, BUP (Unified Polyvalent Baccalaureate) or Higher Grade Vocational Training. They specialize in administrative and archival tasks .
Group D
To be part of this group, which is assigned to administrative support work, a high school graduate is required.
Group E
It requires a Certificate of Schooling and focuses on auxiliary and manual tasks.
General bodies
These are those that focus on common administrative tasks.
Special Corps
They are dedicated to tasks specific to a particular profession or trade .