Professional supervision, written testing and interview recording – proposals for fair and equitable employment

Sarajevo, March 12, 2025 – Recording interviews, mandatory written testing of all candidates using advanced question-selection software, professional and independent oversight of the entire recruitment process, and mandatory public reporting on conducted competitions are among the key proposals for a fair and transparent public sector employment process put forward by Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH).

Employment is the area where citizens most frequently encounter corruption, as shown by data from the TI BiH Free Legal Aid Center, which has handled 2,936 citizen reports since 2011, with 1,191 related to public administration, primarily employment. The widespread nepotism, favoritism toward politically connected candidates, and lack of transparency have led nearly four-fifths of BiH citizens (78.6%) to believe that public sector jobs are obtained “through connections.”

“Recruitment processes in the public sector are too often under political control, criteria are interpreted selectively, and favored candidates are known in advance. This situation enables political manipulation and supports a captured state — where institutions serve party interests instead of those of citizens,” was stated at the Fair and Transparent Employment conference organized by TI BiH under the project Preventing the Capture of Institutions and Public Resources (CERC), implemented with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom through the UK International Development program.

For this reason, TI BiH has proposed a new model of oversight over recruitment procedures in the public sector, to be entrusted to independent bodies such as anti-corruption offices, responsible for selecting, training, and supervising employment supervisors. This supervision mechanism should be institutionalized through regulations on hiring procedures by cantonal ministries of labor, ensuring adequate training and capacity-building of supervisors to guarantee their expertise.

In addition to supervision, stricter and fairer recruitment procedures have been proposed, including mandatory written testing, using exam questions generated immediately before the test via software solutions, and mandatory video recording to ensure objective and impartial evaluation and oversight at all stages.

It is also proposed that supervisors’ reports on conducted procedures be made publicly available, providing the public with an additional layer of control, while candidates would have the opportunity for direct communication with supervisors to report any irregularities in the recruitment process. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the proposal includes clear obligations for supervisors to report identified irregularities and for institutions to act on supervisors’ findings.

Employment supervision was previously applied in Sarajevo Canton but was abolished in 2024. Although it showed certain shortcomings in its design and application, it demonstrated that supervisors prevent irregularities at an early stage — before they develop into serious abuses.

“Supervisors influenced greater caution by commissions, correction of mistakes on the spot, and the creation of an atmosphere of accountability. Their presence reduced the possibility of manipulation, while candidates had an additional channel to report suspicions. Although the mechanism was abolished in 2024, analyses clearly show that its potential was much greater,” showed the analysis presented by TI BiH at the conference.

The proposed supervision mechanism is not just an administrative tool — it is an institutional response to the systemic problem of corruption in employment. Through transparency, independence, and public accountability, this model can become the foundation for fairer employment, reducing corruption risks and limiting the space for political control over public sector hiring.

Therefore, Transparency International BiH has called on governments and will submit official initiatives for them to urgently adopt regulations institutionalizing the supervision mechanism in employment and establishing clear standards of transparency, objectivity, and accountability in recruitment procedures.