Staff of Governmental and Mixed Model EMBs, and of Independent Model EMBs which use public servants as staff, are usually employed under conditions broadly equivalent to those of public servants of similar rank and seniority. Special allowances for electoral work, particularly to compensate for the long hours involved during election periods, may also be available.

In Independent Model EMBs responsible for their own staffing, the salaries and conditions of senior secretariat staff are often pegged to those of senior public servants. In some countries, EMB staff are employed on contract with conditions equivalent to the staff of the legislature, while in others, the public service regulations allow the EMB flexibility in its employment practices.

Where government policies aim to reduce staffing levels of public agencies, EMBs have often resorted to the use of external individual or corporate contractors, especially for technical development and support tasks, often at higher basic costs than public service base rates, but without EMB obligations for costs such as pensions and allowances. This may cause disquiet among EMB staff, fearing for the permanency of their own positions and aware that their base rate of pay is inferior. It may also affect the sustainability of the EMB’s operations.