97.45% of civil servants obtained the highest qualification in the last four years

In recent years, nearly 97.45 percent of public officials in Chile received the highest performance rating over the past four years, according to statistics released by the Civil Service Department. This figure highlights a long-standing issue with the evaluation system used in the country’s public administration, which has drawn increasing scrutiny amid government efforts to reform public employment. The current system, governed by the Administrative Statute established during the late 1980s under the military regime, has remained largely unchanged for 37 years despite persistent criticism. The statute outlines a five-level evaluation framework, yet almost all public employees receive the top rating, known as "distinction", with minimal variation among them. According to data obtained by Pulso, 97.4 percent of central government staff were rated as having distinction in 2025, while just 0.03 percent (70 individuals) fell into the lowest category, leading to dismissal. This trend has been consistent over the last four years, with slight fluctuations. In 2024, 98.5 percent of public servants received the highest rating, compared to 97.8 percent in 2023 and 96.1 percent in 2022. These figures underscore the near-universal assignment of top ratings, which critics argue undermines the purpose of performance evaluations. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) raised concerns in its March 2025 report titled Public Service Review of Chile, delivered to the National Directorate of Social Protection (Dipres). The report noted that nearly 98 percent of the public workforce was classified in the top tier, with half of these individuals receiving the highest possible score. Such uniformity, the OECD pointed out, limits the ability to distinguish between satisfactory and outstanding performance, thereby reducing incentives for high achievers and weakening accountability mechanisms within the system. The evaluation process applies a standardized framework across the entire public administration, though implementation varies based on individual service regulations, many of which are outdated. All civil servants employed directly by the central government and municipalities are annually categorized into one of four performance lists: List 1 (distinction), List 2 (good), List 3 (conditional), or List 4 (removal). While this classification influences promotions and mobility within the public sector, it does not affect salary bonuses. According to the latest data, the number of employees assessed reached 222,848 by the end of 2024, excluding local education services and health departments. Municipalities were not included in this count, further complicating the picture of overall performance across the public sector. Efforts to address these issues have gained momentum following President José Antonio Kast's announcement earlier this month of forming a ministerial advisory commission aimed at modernizing public employment. The commission comprises 12 experts from diverse disciplines, tasked with providing insights necessary for revising the Administrative Statute. Alejandro Weber, former Undersecretary of Finance and one of the authors of a proposed reform during the second administration of Sebastián Piñera, has criticized the current system. He described the statistical consistency of top ratings as improbable, suggesting that the system lacks genuine differentiation in assessing employee performance. The situation has sparked renewed discussions about the need for comprehensive reforms to ensure that performance evaluations serve their intended purpose of distinguishing levels of achievement and motivating improvement. With the OECD's findings and internal assessments highlighting systemic flaws, pressure continues to mount on policymakers to overhaul the existing structure.