In a Tuesday report, the Court of Auditors criticized the Ministry of the Interior's job cuts in the prefectures. The institution explains that between 2010 and 2020, "the physical workforce of prefectures excluding prefectural bodies fell from 27,613 a 23,652, a decrease in 14%".
These cuts were made "in priority" to sub-prefectures. Between 2012 and 2019, almost a quarter of their staff was cut. Sub-prefectures have now "between 3 to 5 agents, which includes the prefectural body. This makes them very fragile in the case of prolonged vacancy."
According to the Court, "The job cuts were focused on the issuance foreign titles, representation functions and support functions, and to a lesser degree on the control over legality." It is stated that these job cuts, which represented nearly all of the decreases in the Ministry of the Interior's workforce, were not realistic. This report was published at a time when delays in obtaining identity documentation are increasing.
In order to make up for the delays, Gerald Darmanin, Minister of Interior, announced in May that there would be a 30% increase of identity document staff. The Court of Auditors warns about the increasing number of precarious agents in terms of recruitment. "Today, prefectures only function by means of short contracts, which render their holders precarious, and disrupt the services."
The Court stated that "from now on, approximately 10% of jobs within the prefecture are held by temporary workers". This is because it "cannot be satisfied with public work becoming a vector for precariousness." The Court believes that the dependence on infraannual contracts is due to the control of the employment plan, rather than the control of the payroll.
