The Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 1. Sri Lanka maintains a relatively large public service—about one public servant per 16 citizens; in Bangladesh, it is about 1 per 123. By end-2024, the approved cadre (including Tri-Forces and SOEs) was 1,680,433 and actual cadre 1,336,147. In 2024, salaries and pensions cost Rs. 1,178 billion and Rs. 396 billion respectively, totaling about 39 per cent of total Government revenue that year.

¶ 03 2. Proper recruitment should be based on identified vacancies within approved cadre, following service minutes/recruitment procedures, with appointments by competent authorities. However, outside due process, large numbers of graduates and other groups have been recruited on Cabinet decisions without assessing real service needs, vacancy numbers, or rules under service minutes/recruitment procedures.

¶ 04 3. As a result, primary and secondary tiers have expanded disproportionately, complicating HR management and increasing administrative costs. Many such officers, without proper duty assignments, have been continuously attached near their residences, underutilizing the workforce. Further, amidst digitalization, irrational continuous recruitments to certain obsolete posts have occurred.

¶ 05 4. High youth unemployment and unequal access to suitable State jobs, amplified by social and political pressures, have driven irregular recruitments. According to the Department of Census and Statistics’ 2023 survey, national unemployment was 4.7 per cent, but 29.8 per cent among youth with A/L or higher. Addressing this requires alternatives: interim social protection until placement; review of university programmes and intake; internationally recognized job-oriented skills development; incentivizing private sector and banks to boost rural job creation and entrepreneurship; expanding day-care facilities, etc.

¶ 06 5. Restricting recruitment: In the crisis context, Cabinet Decision No. AMAP/21/1596/304/134 dated 30.08.2021 on “Review of Government Expenditure” placed a hold on recruitments. Subsequently, Cabinet Decision No. AMAP/22/1353/605/011 of 12.09.2022 on “Reviewing Public Service Recruitment” appointed a Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Prime Minister to recommend prioritized, time-bound essential recruitments for proper public service delivery.

¶ 07 6. Based on that Committee’s recommendations, only essential recruitments were approved during 2022–2024. The Committee also presented 12 policy recommendations for resuming recruitments; these were policy-approved by Cabinet Decision No. AMAP/24/1786/602/021 dated 02.09.2024.

¶ 08 7. Current policy: As per Budget 2025, Proposal No. 38, recruitments will be merit- and competency-based, free of political patronage. Given increased graduate and youth unemployment post-pandemic and recent instability, the Government decided to fill 30,000 essential vacancies; Rs. 10 billion has been allocated in Budget 2025.

¶ 09 8. Further, Cabinet Decision No. AMAP/24/2276/801/010 of 30.12.2024 appointed a Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Prime Minister to review staffing of various institutions, permit only essential recruitments, and redeploy identified excess staff to meet service needs for maximum productivity.

¶ 10 9. Cabinet approved three Committee reports on 09.02.2025, 19.02.2025 and 10.03.2025; approval to recruit 3,147 Nursing Officers was granted on 01.04.2025. Since assuming office, approvals have been given to fill 18,853 vacancies—302 internal limited recruitments and 18,551 for new external recruitment.

¶ 11 10. As per Committee recommendations, the planned 30,000 new recruitments under Budget 2025 will be on an open, competitive basis.

¶ 12 11. Recruitment processes (exams from 2021 onwards) for Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service, and Sri Lanka Planning Service have been approved by Cabinet; interviews are being concluded and submissions made to the Public Service Commission. The recruitment exam for Engineers has been conducted and results submitted to the PSC.

¶ 13 12. Post-2021 graduates have had insufficient opportunities. Under the 30,000 programme, priority will be given to degree-based posts, including all-island services, following established procedures.

¶ 14 13. The Government has also decided to hold the competitive exam for Management Service Officers—opening State service entry to A/L-qualified youth (post-2018). Filling teacher vacancies is also a priority.

¶ 15 14. The State’s core aim is high-quality service delivery. Therefore, the most suitable and capable candidates must be recruited through proper, competitive processes. We aim to ensure excellent service to citizens, create motivated public servants with job satisfaction, and deploy human resources effectively for high performance. With rigorous HR analysis and periodic recruitments within approved cadre aligned to service needs, continuity and quality of the public service can be assured.

¶ 16 Thank you.