Recruitment of a contract staff member in the territorial public service (FPT)

Verified 17 February 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Jobs in the territorial public service (FPT) are normally filled by public servants.

However, in certain cases, which are exhaustively listed by law, local and regional authorities and their public establishments may recruit contract staff.

The duration of the contract (fixed or indefinite) depends on the reason for recruitment.

We present you the various possible cases.

The jobs in each community or institution are created by deliberation.

The deliberation shall specify the grade, or possibly grades, corresponding to the post created.

The decision shall state whether the post may be filled by a member of the contract staff. In this case, it shall state the reasons for the possible use of a member of the contract staff, the nature of the duties, the levels of recruitment and remuneration of the post created.

You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job when there is no employment framework territorial officials who can perform the duties corresponding to the post.

This possibility concerns jobs of categoriesA, B, or C.

You are recruited in CSD: titleContent of Maximum 3 years.

Your contract is renewable up to 6 years total.

At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for a indefinite duration.

When concluding or renewing your contract, you already have at least 6 years of public services on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract is concluded or renewed for a indefinite duration.

If you meet the condition of 6 years of service before the end of your contractHowever, you can enter into a new contract with your community for an indefinite period

If you decide not to enter into this new contract, you will remain in office until the end of your current contract.

If you are recruited by a local authority while you're in DTA: titleContent in another community, or in the state or hospital public service, your contract may be for a indefinite duration if your current and future functions are of the same hierarchical category.

You may be recruited as a contractor on permanent employment where the needs of the services or the nature of the duties so warrant and where no territorial official has been recruited.

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

You are recruited in CSD: titleContent of Maximum 3 years.

Your contract is renewable up to 6 years total.

At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for a indefinite duration.

When concluding or renewing your contract, you already have at least 6 years of public services on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract is concluded or renewed for a indefinite duration.

If you meet the condition of 6 years of service before the end of your contractHowever, you can enter into a new contract with your community for an indefinite period

If you decide not to enter into this new contract, you will remain in office until the end of your current contract.

If you are recruited by a local authority while you're in DTA: titleContent in another community, or in the state or hospital public service, your contract may be for a indefinite duration if your current and future functions are of the same hierarchical category.

You can be recruited as a contract worker on a permanent job in the following communities and institutions:

Tableau - Jobs open to contract workers in municipalities and groupings of small municipalities

Community or institution

Contractual employment

Municipality of less than 1,000 inhabitants

All jobs

Grouping of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants

All jobs

New municipality resulting from the merger of municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants

All jobs (during the 3 years following the creation of the new municipality or possibly until 1er renewal of municipal council)

Municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants

Employment the creation or removal of which is necessary for the community or establishment

Grouping of municipalities with less than 10 000 inhabitants

Employment the creation or removal of which is necessary for the community or establishment

You are recruited in CSD: titleContent of Maximum 3 years.

Your contract is renewable up to 6 years total.

At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for a indefinite duration.

When concluding or renewing your contract, you already have at least 6 years of public services on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract is concluded or renewed for a indefinite duration.

If you meet the condition of 6 years of service before the end of your contractHowever, you can enter into a new contract with your community for an indefinite period

If you decide not to enter into this new contract, you will remain in office until the end of your current contract.

If you are recruited by a local authority while you're in DTA: titleContent in another community, or in the state or hospital public service, your contract may be for a indefinite duration if your current and future functions are of the same hierarchical category.

You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent non-full-time job with a working time of less than 17:30 per week.

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

You are recruited in CSD: titleContent of Maximum 3 years.

Your contract is renewable up to 6 years total.

At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for a indefinite duration.

When concluding or renewing your contract, you already have at least 6 years of public services on functions of the same hierarchical category, your contract is concluded or renewed for a indefinite duration.

If you meet the condition of 6 years of service before the end of your contractHowever, you can enter into a new contract with your community for an indefinite period

If you decide not to enter into this new contract, you will remain in office until the end of your current contract.

If you are recruited by a local authority while you're in DTA: titleContent in another community, or in the state or hospital public service, your contract may be for a indefinite duration if your current and future functions are of the same hierarchical category.

You may be recruited as a member of the contract staff on a permanent post to replace an official or a member of the contract staff who is part-time or absent for any of the following reasons:

  • Detachment less than 6 months
  • Availability less than 6 months
  • Secondment for the completion of an internship or a period of schooling prior to establishment in a corps or a framework of jobs or to follow a cycle of preparation for a competition giving access to a corps or a framework of jobs
  • Leave (sickness, maternity, parental, etc.)

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

Your contract is for a fixed term.

It may take effect prior to the departure of the replaced agent.

The contract may be renewed by express decision, within the limit of the period of absence of the member of staff replaced.

You may be recruited as a contractor on a temporary vacancy on a permanent basis pending the recruitment of a territorial official.

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

Your contract is for a maximum of one year.

Your contract may be extended for a total of two years if, at the end of the one-year period, the recruitment procedure for the post concerned by an official has not been successful.

You can be recruited temporarily as a contract worker on a non-permanent job to deal with a temporary increase in activity, for a maximum of 12 months.

You can also be recruited temporarily as a contract worker on a non-permanent job to deal with a seasonal increase in activity, for a maximum of 6 months.

If you are recruited to cope with a temporary increase in activity, your contract can be renewed up to a maximum of 12 months during a period of 18 consecutive months.

If you are recruited to deal with a seasonal increase in activities, your contract can be renewed within the limit of 6 months during a 12-month period.

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

You can be recruited by project contract to perform an identified project or operation.

The project contract shall be concluded for a minimum period of one year and a maximum period of six years.

It may be renewed to complete the project or operation, up to a total duration of 6 years.

Where the contract is concluded for a period of less than 6 years and the planned project or operation is not completed by the end of the contract, the contract may be renewed up to a maximum of 6 years.

The project contract shall end with the completion of the object for which it was concluded, after a period of advance notice.

It may, however, be terminated by decision of the employer's administration at the end of a period of one year if the project or operation for which it was concluded cannot be carried out.

You can be recruited as a contractor on a permanent job if you are handicapped worker.

This possibility concerns jobs in categories A, B or C.

Your contract shall be concluded for a period corresponding to the duration of the probationary period provided for by the special status of the framework of employment to which your employment is subject.

This period is fixed at 1 year (unless otherwise provided for by the special status of the framework of jobs to which your employment belongs).

At the end of your contract, you are entitled to permanent status.

If, at the end of your one-year contract, your professional skills are not deemed sufficient to enable you to become a permanent employee, your contract may be renewed for a maximum period of one year.

At the end of your contract, you are tenured and become a public servant or, if your professional skills are deemed insufficient, you are dismissed.

You can be recruited as a contractor on one of the following functional managerial posts:

  • Director-General of Services and Deputy Director-General of Services of Departments and Regions or Communities exercising the competencies of Departments or Regions
  • Director-General for Services, Deputy Director-General for Services and Director-General for Technical Services of Municipalities with a population of more than 40 000 and of Public Intercommunal Cooperation Institutions with a population of more than 40 000
  • Managing Director of Public Institutions Whose Characteristics and Importance Warrant It

Your contract is for a fixed term.

Your appointment to one of these positions does not result in your tenure in the territorial public service or, at the end of your term, its renewal as a term.

You can be recruited as a contractor on a job as a cabinet employee.

Your contract is for a fixed term.

Your duties shall end at the latest at the same time as the term of office of the territorial authority which recruited you.

You can also be recruited as a contract worker to serve as a group of elected officials in the following communities:

  • Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
  • Departments
  • Regions
  • Urban communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
  • Urban communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants

Your contract is concluded for a fixed term for a maximum period of 3 years, renewable, within the limit of the electoral mandate of the deliberative assembly concerned.

The performance of the duties of a member of a group of elected representatives or a group of delegates is incompatible with permanent employment in a local authority and does not give rise to any entitlement to tenure in a grade in the local public service.

Your contract is renewable by express renewal, up to a maximum of 6 years.

At the end of the 6-year period, if your contract is renewed, it can only be renewed by express decision and for an indefinite period.

You can be recruited as a contractor on a job maternal assistant or family assistant.

Your contract is for a fixed or indefinite period.

You can be recruited as a contractor under the Career pathways in the public service (Pact) if you are under 29 years of age and if you meet one of the following 2 conditions:

  • You do not have a recognized diploma or professional qualification
  • You have a lower qualification level than the bachelor's degree

You can be recruited on a category C job.

The purpose of the Pact is to enable you to acquire, through work-linked training, a qualification related to your job or the diploma required to access the framework of jobs to which your job belongs.

Your contract is concluded for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years.

Your contract may be renewed for a maximum of one year if you have not obtained the qualification or diploma in question.

At the end of your contract, you are eligible to become a tenure holder and become a public servant.