Sri Lanka to recruit 60,000 for public service

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Professor A.H.M.H. Abayarathna says that due to various vacancies in the public service, necessary steps are being taken to recruit 60,000 people to the public service in Sri Lanka.
The Minister stated that provisions had been allocated in the previous budget to recruit 30,000 individuals to fill the existing vacancies.
As one step in this process, the Minister said that measures are being taken to recruit the required staff for services across Sri Lanka.
He further mentioned that the recruitment process has already begun for essential services such as the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, the Sri Lanka Engineering Service, the Planning Service, and the Accountants’ Service.
The Minister also noted that, based on the recommendations of a subcommittee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers, arrangements are being made to recruit 226 individuals to the Sri Lanka Engineering Service.
Professor A.H.M.H. Abayarathna added that the selection process has been completed to recruit these 226 individuals from among those who obtained the highest marks in the examination held in March 2025.
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Sri Lanka has approx 1.15 million Public Sector employees. That equates to 1 Public Servant per 19 citizens.
In the crisis / reform period, an 8% reduction in numbers was achieved.
Since 2024, the numbers have rocketed upwards.
This is understandable in a country where opportunity is elusive.