Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG) Contact About GILS
EN  /  KA
Georgian Labour Law

Law on Public Service

Law No. 3271-IIs · 27 October 2015. Full text, article breakdown, amendment history, enforcement data, and policy analysis. All texts available on Matsne.gov.ge.

Georgian ParliamentMatsne.gov.geEnglish summaryGeorgian original
5Amendments
7Article Groups
3271-IIsLaw Number
27 OYear In Force
Amendment History
Legislative Timeline
2015 — Adopted
Law No. 3271-IIs, 27 October 2015
Replaced 1997 Civil Service Law; major reform aligned with EU standards
2016 — Implementing decree
Government Decree No. 119, 2 March 2016
Established Civil Service Bureau; uniform pay scales
2018 — Amendment
Law No. 2556, 22 February 2018
Merit-based recruitment reform; competency testing mandatory for senior grades
2020 — Amendment
Law No. 5900, 18 March 2020
COVID provisions: remote work in civil service; emergency procurement rules
2023 — Amendment
Law No. 3195, 10 October 2023
Performance management reform; added mobility provisions between agencies
Content Summary
Key Provisions by Article Group

Article summaries are GILS translations and interpretations of the Georgian original. Consult the official text on Matsne.gov.ge for authoritative content.

Analysis
Policy Assessment

Georgia's civil service reform since 2015 has professionalised the public sector considerably. Merit-based recruitment is now standard across central government, and the Civil Service Bureau provides credible oversight. However, public sector employment still carries significant political exposure at senior levels — formal protections for non-political civil servants are stronger on paper than in practice, particularly around local government where political turnover frequently affects non-political staff. Public sector wages at ~GEL 2,950/month (2024) are above the national average but below the Tbilisi living wage for families. See Living Wage →

Trade union density in the public sector is approximately 35% — higher than the national average of 15% — reflecting GTUC's historic strength in public sector unions (teachers, healthcare workers, civil servants).

Related Resources
See Also
Labour Code →Anti Discrimination →Living Wage Georgia →
Official text: https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/2654436 (Matsne.gov.ge)
Authority: Georgian Parliament
GILS analysis: This summary was prepared by the Georgian Institute of Labour Studies. For legal advice, consult a qualified Georgian lawyer.
← All Knowledge Hub resources · Contact GILS
GILS Analysis
The Law on Public Service: Labour Rights in the State Sector

The Law on Public Service governs employment conditions for Georgia's approximately 130,000 civil servants — establishing a separate employment framework from the Labour Code for state employees. Key differences: civil servants have stronger dismissal protections (can only be dismissed for specific grounds, with administrative appeal); but weaker collective bargaining rights (no sector-wide union negotiation; individual employment conditions set by law and government resolution).

Public sector employment represents approximately 7.5% of total employment and 18% of formal wage employment. Public sector wages have grown moderately (average GEL 1,650/month in 2023) but remain below private formal sector equivalents in comparable occupations, creating recruitment challenges in healthcare, education, and IT — the three sectors where Georgia most needs qualified public employees.

Data value: The Law on Public Service provides demand-side evidence that complements Geostat supply-side LFS data. Together they enable skills gap analysis, vacancy mismatch measurement, and ALMP targeting.
Evidence gap: Survey-based employer data has known limitations: self-selection bias (engaged employers more likely to respond); small sample sizes for specific sectors; recall bias on wages. GILS flags these limitations in all analysis based on survey data.
International Perspectives
What Other Institutions Say
World Bank Private Sector
World Bank enterprise surveys confirm key findings: practical skills gap is the top hiring barrier in Georgia. World Bank recommends: employer-education partnerships; work-based learning; apprenticeship pilots. Survey data is input to World Bank Jobs Diagnostics and Country Economic Memoranda.
Georgian Employers' Association
GEA conducts its own annual employer survey — GILS coordinates to avoid duplication and enable comparison. GEA survey focuses on business environment; GILS survey focuses on labour demand. Combined, they provide the most comprehensive picture of Georgian employer perspectives on labour market conditions.
ESDC — Skills Forecasting
ESDC is required by the Employment Promotion Law (Art.15) to publish an annual skills demand report. GILS survey data is an input to ESDC's skills forecasting. The combination of GILS employer survey + ESDC administrative data + Geostat LFS provides a reasonably complete picture of skills gaps.
EU Skills Agenda
The EU Skills Agenda for Europe provides a framework for skills investment that Georgia is progressively adopting under the DCFTA. Key tool: Skills Intelligence (sector-level occupational demand forecasting). GILS recommends Georgia develop a National Skills Intelligence System modelled on Cedefop (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training).
GILS Position Statement

The Law on Public Service is evidence, not advocacy. Its value lies in grounding policy discussion in what employers, workers, and the labour market actually show — not what is assumed. GILS commits to annual data collection and transparent methodology so that Georgian labour policy is made on the basis of evidence rather than ideology or political convenience.

— GILS Research Unit, September 2026
GILS Policy Recommendations
Five Priority Actions
Recommendation 01
Annual employer survey — expand to 1,000 enterprises

Current sample (450 enterprises) is too small for sector-level analysis. Expand to 1,000: stratified by region, sector, and size. Enables: reliable sector-specific findings; regional employer demand mapping; time-series trend analysis. Cost: GEL 35K annually. ILO co-funding available.

ILO Employer Survey methodology · World Bank Enterprise Survey · Geostat business register sample frame
Recommendation 02
Skills gap database — employer demand matched to ESDC supply

Create a joint GILS/ESDC Skills Gap Database: employer-reported hard-to-fill vacancies matched against ESDC training programme output by occupation. Identifies: training programmes not filling vacancies; occupations with vacancies but no training supply. Updates quarterly. Powers ESDC training commissioning decisions.

ESDC Employment Promotion Law Art.15 · Cedefop skills intelligence model · GILS data infrastructure
Recommendation 03
Employer-education partnerships — 50 companies by 2026

34% of employers offer any training — increase to 60% through: (1) ESDC employer-led training subsidy (Art.13) — 70% reimbursement, well-publicised; (2) GILS 'Employer of the Year' award for training investment; (3) University-employer curriculum co-design workshops (GILS facilitates, MLHSA co-sponsors). Target: 50 formal employer-education partnerships by 2026.

Germany dual system employer partnerships · GILS facilitation capacity · MLHSA ESDC employer relations
Recommendation 04
Regional employer surveys — disaggregate Tbilisi from regions

Current survey is nationally aggregated — masking the very different employer landscapes in Tbilisi vs. regions. Develop regional employer modules: 3 regions (Adjara, Imereti, Kvemo Kartli) with n=100 each. Enables: regional ALMP targeting; regional skills forecasting; regional investment facilitation.

Georgia regional economic development strategy · EU ENPARD regional components · MRDI partnership
Recommendation 05
Public employer survey — civil service workforce planning

90% of employer surveys cover private sector. The public sector (130,000 civil servants) has significant recruitment and retention challenges — particularly in healthcare, education, and IT. Commission a Public Employer Survey: Civil Service Bureau + MLHSA + GILS; 200 public entities; focus on: hard-to-fill positions, turnover rates, pay competitiveness. First edition 2025.

Civil Service Bureau capacity · World Bank PFM programme · ILO public service employment data
ILO Standards — Georgia
Compliance Status
Convention / StandardSubjectRatifiedComplianceKey Gap
C142Human Resources Development 1993PartialVET misaligned with employer demand; employer engagement in training 34%
C122Employment Policy 1993PartialESDC skills forecasting weak; employer survey not yet systematic
C088Employment Service 1993PartialEmployer engagement in ESDC improving but limited to vacancy posting