Public service officials from the State form a heterogeneous group composed mainly of women. Teachers account for 43% of State public servants: almost all of them are Category A, civil servants or equivalent, more qualified than the average, with their own career paths, working hours and holidays. The other government officials are made up of both civil servants (59% of that population) employed for the long-term and contract workers who are mostly only passing through State civil service. However, that status is not determined by time of entry into civil service: 39% of the non-teaching civil servants employed at the State level in 2014 were hired mid-way through their career, often by competitive examination or by tenure plan.

Whether teachers or not, endogamy and professional heredity are very strong: State civil servants often follow the parental model or find their spouse in civil service. Employment statuses and hierarchical categories thus structure the careers and salaries of agents. Non-teachers in civil service in category A benefit from both higher salaries at the start of their career and higher increases with seniority than those in category B or C. Teachers in higher education enjoy the same two-fold advantage over secondary and especially primary education teachers. However, career paths are not determined at entry and are punctuated by promotions, which sometimes lead to changes in categories: excluding teachers, 38% of category A civil servants in 2014 were in lower categories when they entered civil service. The careers of State civil servants are also paced by geographical mobility (36%) or career breaks, in particular to raise their children: nearly one in six women has interrupted her career for at least six months for this reason.