CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT MODEL IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF REPUBLIC OF SERBIA: CONTEMPORARY TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

Human resources management in the public administration of the Republic of Serbia is a combined model of good practices from the European administrative area and the remaining stereotypes from pre-transition period. Introduction of the public servant system with all features of contemporary public servant related legislation was a necessity that accompanied overall reform of the public administration in Serbia. The process of introducing human resources management function in the Serbian public administration has been encumbered with application of two different legal models that define the status of public servants: public servant related legislation is applied to employees in executive branches of the central government (ministries, government departments and offices), and the status of employees in city and municipal administrations is stipulated in obsolete laws, adopted over 20 years ago. It should be noted that employees in public sector are still prone to old habits in their work, which altogether reduces successful reforms in this area. This paper provides a description of the current state of affairs and opens certain questions: whether the modern human resources (HR) management in Serbia’s public sector is understood and accepted in the right way; and whether it is possible, by means of applying specific methods, to strengthen awareness of public employees concerning their actual position and responsibility to establish a new public administration, adjusted to the citizens’ needs, requirements and expectations. Relying on a decade-long personal engagement in this field, the author analyzes the current circumstances and provides critical remarks and recommendations.