Ministerial staff of the Czech Republic 25 years after the ‘Velvet Revolution’

Abstract

The article analyses ministerial staff of the Czech Republic 25 years after the Velvet Revolution. It characterizes ministerial employees during the period of the communist regime in former Czechoslovakia (1948–1989) and following the anti-communist coup. In order to analyse the present-day situation, it uses our own survey of the staff working at ministries in the Czech Republic. Within the survey (conducted April–June 2013) all 14 ministries of the Czech Republic were contacted. In total, 1351 respondents (ministerial employees of the Czech Republic) participated in the survey. The research aimed to examine the gender structure, age, education, acquired experience and performed activities of ministerial staff. The results of the research also signal that in some areas (e.g. within the so-called systematized employment positions and the prescribed level of education at some ministries) the residual effects of the previous regime still manifest themselves. The results of this research may be an inspiration for similar research projects in other countries of the former Soviet bloc.