Challenges of municipal public administration for workforce management

Abstract

The updating process of the Cuban economic and social model granted municipalities a leading role in local development, which positioned public workforce management as a strategic function to address demographic challenges and employment transformations. This study aimed to analyze the main challenges of municipal public administration in Cuba for workforce management in local development, in order to identify institutional gaps and operational lines of action. A mixed descriptive-explanatory methodological design was employed. The sample covered the entire universe of 336 presidents of the Municipal Assemblies of People's Power and Mayors from the 168 municipalities of the country. The data collection instrument, a structured survey exploring seven management dimensions, was validated through expert judgment and achieved a Cronbach's alpha internal consistency of 0.89. Results revealed that eighty-five percent of local decision-makers negatively assessed institutional capacities, although with significant variations according to municipality size and economic structure. Critical gaps were identified in regulatory rigidity, training mismatch, and the weakness of Territorial Employment Commissions. These findings evidenced the need to overcome the current institutional fragmentation. It was concluded that municipal workforce management demands an integrative model based on four axes: local labor information system, regulatory flexibility, dual training with non-state actors, and results-based evaluation.