Targeting reductions in bureaucracy: Increasing regulation is placing a burden on both business and public administration. A consistent review of regulation and the repeal of unnecessary regulatory constraints at federal, cantonal and municipal level will help reduce staffing requirements, take pressure off public administration, and create urgently needed financial headroom to tackle societal ageing.

Critically challenging what the state does: The state should be continually scrutinising and reducing its role in areas where services can be delivered more efficiently by the private sector or through public-private partnerships. Private providers generate greater financial headroom by boosting tax revenues, thus raising more money for state expenditure on areas such as security, social security, and health.

Evaluating and prioritising subsidies: State subsidies, whether in the form of cash payments or tax reductions, need to be economically justifiable and efficiently designed and to make redistributive sense. Subsidies that are inefficient or not precisely targeted should be scrapped consistently to free up financial and administrative resources.

Driving digitalisation and automation: The use of AI, automation and data-driven administrative tools can make routine tasks more efficient as well as freeing up scarce human resources. This will boost public sector productivity, help reduce recruitment bottlenecks, and enable existing talent to be used for more complex tasks or else savings to be made.

Making targeted use of cloud and data technologies: The state should be continually scrutinising and reducing its role in areas where services can be delivered more efficiently by the private sector or through public-private partnerships. Private providers generate greater financial headroom by boosting tax revenues, thus raising more money for state expenditure on areas such as security, social security, and health.

Identifying security and continuing training as key to success: Targeted initial and continuing training provision is crucial to equipping staff to play an active part in shaping technological change and to guaranteeing the quality and security of new digital processes. Poor communication and failure to adequately involve staff often fosters resistance.

Increasing hours of part-time workers and keeping hold of older workers: Incentives to increase the hours worked by part-timers and to enable older people to keep working beyond retirement age can help to make targeted use of the pool of labour within Switzerland. Many public servants have high levels of pension income, so a flexible retirement age and greater social recognition of the value of working beyond retirement age will be increasingly important strategies.

Designing skills development systematically: The public sector should promote lifelong learning for its staff in areas including AI, big data and cyber-security, as well as basic IT skills, and also develop soft skills such as resilience and agility. AI-based learning platforms offer potential for efficient and personalised continuing training, but not enough use is being made of them.

Professionalising strategic HR planning: A systematic HR strategy, with skills inventories, skills gap analyses, and succession planning, provides an overview of the existing skills in the organisation and future needs. Against the backdrop of the growing shortage of skilled labour, organisations should where possible aim to replace external recruitment with internal staff development and strategic upskilling to relieve pressure on existing staff and on recruitment.