The practice of recruiting people to lower grades and salaries than would have been the case pre-2004 and pre-2014. E.g. for AD5 and AD6, nominally ‘entry’ level :
‘…62 % [of recently recruited administrator officials] were over 40, which makes it likely that they already had at least 10 years of professional experience when they joined the institutions, more than what is usually required for the grades of the competitions.’ p.19 European Court of Auditors, Special Report 23/2020 [1]
‘These minimum education requirements [for AST and AST/SC function groups] have barely changed from the first version of the staff regulations in 196218, which referred to an advanced level of secondary education or equivalent professional experience […] These requirements are out of step with the current level of educational attainment in the EU where over 75 % of the EU population has at least completed secondary education, and 30 % has completed university studies1. As a result, staff in the SC and AST function groups may often have qualifications that are not aligned with their job requirements. This can lead to demotivation and have an impact on staff performance.’ Paragraphs 92 and 93 European Court of Auditors, Special Report 24/2024 [2]