Editing Civil service (section)

==== United States ====
{{Main|Government employees in the United States|United States federal civil service}}
In the United States, the federal civil service was established in 1871. The Civil Service is defined as "all appointive positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, except positions in the uniformed services." ({{UnitedStatesCode|5|2101}}). In the early 19th century, government jobs were held at the pleasure of the president—a person could be fired at any time. The [[spoils system]] meant that jobs were used to support the political parties. This was changed in slow stages by the [[Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act]] of 1883 and subsequent laws. By 1909, almost two-thirds of the U.S. federal work force was appointed based on merit, that is, qualifications measured by tests. Certain senior civil service positions, including some heads of diplomatic missions and executive agencies, are filled by [[Political appointments in the United States|political appointees]]. Under the [[Hatch Act of 1939]], civil servants are not allowed to engage in political activities while performing their duties.

The U.S. civil service includes the [[competitive service]] and the [[excepted service]]. The majority of civil service appointments in the U.S. are made under the competitive service, but the [[U.S. Foreign Service|Foreign Service]], the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], and other National Security positions are made under the excepted service. (U.S. Code Title V)

As of January 2007, the federal government, excluding the Postal Service, employed about 1.8 million civilian workers. The federal government is the nation's single largest employer, although it employs only about 12% of all government employees, compared to 24% at the state level and 63% at the local level.<ref>{{cite web|date=6 March 2014|title=2012 Census of Governments: Employment Summary Report|url=http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/2012_summary_report.pdf|access-date=8 December 2014|publisher=United States Census Bureau|archive-date=28 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328123045/http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/2012_summary_report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Although most federal agencies are based in the [[Washington, D.C.]] region, only about 16% (or about 284,000) of the federal government workforce is employed in this region.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 12, 2008|title=Federal Government, Excluding the Postal Service|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114201419/http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm|archive-date=2009-01-14|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref> As of 2014, there are currently 15 federal executive branch agencies and hundreds of subagencies.<ref>{{cite web|date=2009-09-15|title=Louisiana State University Libraries – Federal Agency Index|url=http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/faq.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924110119/http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/faq.html|archive-date=2014-09-24|access-date=2014-02-18|publisher=Lib.lsu.edu}}</ref>

In the early 20th century, most cities in the US had a spoils system.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Anzia |first1=Sarah F. |last2=Trounstine |first2=Jessica |date=2024 |title=Civil Service Adoption in America: The Political Influence of City Employees |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/civil-service-adoption-in-america-the-political-influence-of-city-employees/29DBF25076D5A7E175FDECA2C85CC001 |journal=American Political Science Review |pages=1–17 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S0003055424000431 |issn=0003-0554|doi-access=free }}</ref> Over the next few decades, the spoils system was replaced with a civil service system.<ref name=":0" /> U.S. state and local government entities often have competitive civil service systems that are modeled on the national system, in varying degrees.