No plan to raise age limit for applying to govt jobs: Minister Farhad

Public administration minister Farhad Hossain has declared that the government has no plan to raise the age limit to 35 years for entering government jobs.

“The number of candidates in different jobs will increase to a large extent. As a result, there might be more competition in recruitment, and it may cause frustration among candidates below 30 years of age,” he said while replying to a query at the parliament on Wednesday.

He pointed out that there is no session jam in educational institutions at present and students complete master's degree in 22/23 years with SSC in 16 years.

As the maximum age limit for joining government jobs is 30 years, they get at least 6/7 years to apply for a job even after obtaining a master's degree, he added.

Besides, he said, if a candidate applies within the age limit of 30 years, it takes 2/1 year to complete the recruitment process. “So, the demand to raise the minimum age for joining the service from 30 years to 35 years is actually closer to that.”

Citing a public service commission report, the minister said in the 43rd BCS examination, the highest proportion of recommended candidates – 37.68 per cernt – belonged to the younger age group of 23-25 years. In contrast, the lowest proportion – just 1.71 – was from the older age group of those above 29 years.

The minister also mentioned that the number of vacancies has naturally decreased due to the increase in the retirement age from 57 years to 59 years. If the age limit for entering the jobs is increased, the number of candidates in different jobs will increase at a large rate.

If the age limit is increased, those who are currently above 30 years of age will get the opportunity, but there might be disappointment among the candidates below 30 years of age, he added.