STRATEGIES FOR PROFESSIONALIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITALIZATION

Abstract

In the contemporary context of intensive digital transformation of public governance in Ukraine, the professionalization of the public service acquires strategic importance as a systemic process of adapting human capital to a reality in which most public functions, management processes, communications, and service delivery take place within a digital environment. The rapid implementation of the Diia platform, electronic registers, the Trembita system, HRMIS, artificial intelligence tools, and e-governance principles generates new competency requirements for public servants, while simultaneously creating risks of professional culture lagging behind the pace of technological development. However, the fragmentation of professional development programs, weak integration of digital competencies into HR processes, and insufficient linkage with performance evaluation point to the need for a comprehensive professionalization strategy. Such a strategy should ensure the sustainable adaptation of the public service to the challenges of the digital era, European integration, and post-war recovery. A cyclical professionalization strategy was developed, consisting of four interrelated blocks (changes in competency requirements, transformation of training methods, modernization of HR processes, and changes in work organization), as well as a target-state block with permanent feedback. Empirical analysis confirms a tangible shift in organizational culture toward innovation. The 2025 portfolio of professional development programs demonstrates systematic coverage of digital literacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data-driven approaches; however, it also reveals fragmentation and the need for a unified development trajectory. The professionalization of the public service in the context of digitalization represents a fundamental transformation of its very essence – from a traditional bureaucratic model to a digitally oriented, data-driven, agile, and citizen-centric system. The proposed strategic framework provides a basis for transitioning from fragmented digital modernization to comprehensive strategic change management, which constitutes a strategic resource for national security, sustainable development, and Ukraine’s European integration.