The modernisation of Public Administration requires, particularly, the staff working therein, through the adaptation to new principles, new behaviours and new working methods, associated with new forms of organisation.
The public employment scheme pays particular importance to monitoring, transparency and accountability of acts committed, reflected in a higher control over personnel costs evolution and aims to contradict a dynamics of sustained growth of staff numbers, as shown in the table below.
Changes in permanent staff numbers in Public Administration
| 1979 | 1983 | 1986 | 1988 | 1991 | 1996 | 1999 | 2005 |
| 372 086 | 435 795 | 464 321 | 485 368 | 509 732 | 619 399* | 716 418 | 747 880 |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Public Administration
*Does not include permanent staff in the Autonomous Region of Madeira
