Does removing job security foster healthy and effective organisations? A systematic review of public and private sector research

Abstract

A growing source of controversy in the United States and around the globe is the nature of the relationship between political leadership and career civil servants. The debate centres on whether civil service jobs should come with job security or be “at-will”, allowing employers to terminate them without cause or notice. The debate has become more significant as several heads of state around the world have fired civil servants en masse and sought to expand at-will employment for federal civil servants. What does social science research tell us about job security, employee attitudes, and performance? This article presents a systematic review of evidence drawn from 119 empirical studies, which we synthesise and summarise. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the systematic review for public policy and public management, civil service design, and future research.

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