Pay Systems in Public Sector of OECD Countries

The article deals with development of public sector pay systems in OECD countries. It is noted that reforms in this sphere began in the 1980s as part of the implementation of the broader concept of “New public management”, which was based on active introduction of market mechanisms and instruments in the activities of public sector organizations. The authors consider how the reforms affected changes in all elements of the pay systems – the basic and variable parts of payment, the tariff schedule, and the classification of jobs (positions). It is shown how transition from traditional unified tariff schedule of basic remuneration to a grade scale was connected with the shift of career model to position model, in which the key role was assigned to employee’s qualifications and performance. Further reform of pay systems has resulted in expansion of competence-related pay and further strengthening the role of grading as a tool for organizing pay in public sector. In this regard, the role of job classification, professional standards that allow to objectively assess the value of each type of activity (each position) for a specific organization and form an effective grading scale of basic pay has significantly increased. Reforms of pay systems in OECD countries have affected both basic, and variable parts of pay, as a result of which different pay systems can be applied not only within a single country, but also sometimes within a single organization. The article discusses the most common of these systems – performance-related pay, competence-, skill- and merit-based pay systems.