An Empirical Study of the Finance Guard Service in the Light of the Recruits

Abstract

Public sector organisations in Hungary and other OECD countries face significant recruitment challenges. The growing presence of Generation Z in the labour market led to additional difficulties for most public administration and law enforcement agencies, including revenue services. Not just recruiting but retaining staff has become increasingly complex. Moreover, as most public administration and law enforcement agencies have experienced recently, the tax and customs authorities are not quite popular among youngsters starting their careers. These are the drivers why the profession of tax and customs administrations are also facing recruitment problems, in which recruiting Z Generation candidates on a broader scale should have been a game-changer solution. In this paper, the authors examine to what extent are the expectations of the finance guard officer's profession in line with the generational needs of the actual candidates. Researchers developed a quantitative database by questioning a focal group. In addition to the analysis of the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, the questionnaire was used to investigate their career choice and knowledge of the finance guard officers' profession. A total of 192 university students participated in the comparative survey. In line with the preliminary assumptions, the results confirmed that the financial rewards of a decent living, the possibility of a varied work experience, the opportunities for learning and development, and the ability to work in a team are the key aspects that enhance the attractiveness of the profession mentioned above. However, the constraints, the need to respect rules, the strong impact of the profession on personal life, the need for loyalty, and the lack of a foreseeable career path all pose serious barriers between Generation Z and the revenue agency, challenging job orientation and retention.