The world's civil service systems began to see reforms in the 1980s. Reforms in examination-based recruitment systems have centered on delegation of authority, simplifying staff, creating position-based teams of high-level civil servants, and making the examination system more flexible.
世界各國的文官制度改革自 1980 年代起陸續展開，考選改革的主軸包括部會分權化、人員精簡、建立「以職位為基礎」（position-based）的高級文官團、考試方法彈性化等。