468,220 posts of govt jobs fall vacant, says state minister in parliament
State Minister for Public Administration Abdul Bari has said that there are 468,220 vacant positions across all ministries and government offices in the country.
He stated that short-, medium-, and long-term plans—spanning six months, one year, and five years—have been formulated to fill these vacancies.
The information was provided on Thursday in the parliament in response to a question from BNP lawmaker Sarwar Jamal Nizam. Presided over by Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal, the question-answer session was tabled at the beginning of the sitting,
According to the State Minister, based on the latest updated data on government employees as of 31 December 2023, there are 68,884 vacant posts in the first class (grades 1–9), 129,166 in the second class (grades 10–12), 146,799 in grades 13–16, and 115,235 in grades 17–20. Additionally, there are 8,136 vacancies in other categories.
He further stated that recruitment processes will be completed for 2,879 vacant posts under the Ministry of Public Administration within six months, 4,459 posts within one year, and 3,110 posts within five years.
He added that, in addition, regarding the plan’s provision to recruit 500,000 employees “with transparency and speed,” letters have been sent from the Ministry of Public Administration to other ministries and divisions, requesting the latest status of recruitment and information on filling vacant posts.
Replying to a question from ruling party member Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Abdul Bari said that over the past 16 years under the Awami League government, 12 BCS administration cadre officers were sent to forced retirement, 39 were dismissed from service, and 564 were made OSD (officer on special duty).
He also noted that allegations of corruption and politicisation in BCS cadre recruitment during the previous Awami League period are currently under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other law enforcement agencies. Appropriate legal actions will be taken based on the investigation reports and recommendations.
Responding to a question from opposition MP Nurul Islam, the State Minister said that in building a meritocratic Bangladesh, merit, integrity, creativity, efficiency, experience, and training will be the sole criteria in recruitment, transfer, and promotion in both civil and military administration. He assured that no one will be unfairly deprived and that this will help prevent wastage of public funds.
Responding to another question from the same MP, he added that currently 93 per cent of recruitment in class one and class two government jobs is based on merit. Five per cent quota is reserved for freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters, and Biranganas’ children, while 1 per cent is allocated for ethnic minorities and 1 per cent for persons with disabilities and the third gender.