More than a quarter of posts in Bangladesh’s civil administration remain vacant, hampering the ability of many government institutions to provide the expected services to people.
Out of nearly 20 lakh government positions, 5.22 lakh have yet to be filled, even as thousands of job seekers continue to search for employment.
According to the draft of the “Statistics of Civil Officers and Staff-2025” prepared by the public administration ministry, 14.64 lakh employees are currently working against 19.86 lakh approved posts across all civil institutions in the country.
When contacted, Md Abdul Bari, state minister for public administration, said, “The government is working with an emphasis on both filling vacant posts and creating employment. Besides, efforts are underway to find effective strategies to reduce delays in recruitment for vacant posts in government institutions.”
Public administration expert Firoz Mia said, “If five lakh vacant posts are filled, an equal number of families comprising 20 to 25 lakh people will benefit.
“This will create jobs for unemployed people on the one hand and help ensure financial security for thousands of families on the other. Special initiatives should be taken to fill the vacant posts as early as possible.”
DELAYS IN RECRUITMENT
Most of the over five lakh unfilled positions are in offices and agencies under various ministries.
Several officials at the public administration ministry said that delays in recruitment in these institutions are quite common. In some cases, when issues relating to recruitment end up in court, they remain stuck for years.
Giving one such example, an education ministry official said that a prolonged court battle over seniority has left the headmaster’s post vacant in 34,500 primary schools for 17 years, affecting more than half of the country’s 66,000 primary schools.
Talking to this correspondent, Shimul Hasan, an assistant teacher at a primary school in Netrakona, said the vacancy in the headmaster’s post created a dual problem.
Firstly, students are deprived of classes because a teacher has to carry out the headmaster’s responsibilities. Secondly, those who temporarily perform the duties lack training in many areas, requiring other teachers to help them complete the tasks, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, 31,142 out of nearly 50,000 posts across 329 municipalities in the country remain vacant, according to Bangladesh Poura Service Association (BPSA).
Seeking anonymity, an additional secretary at the Local Government Division said, “Many municipalities are facing difficulties in providing street-cleaning and waste-management services because of staff shortages. Vacancies in many officer-level positions are also affecting routine administrative functions.”
The official further said the LGRD ministry does not prioritise recruitment for municipalities because many of them are unable to run on their own revenue and often rely on government funding.
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FRUSTRATION OVER UNEMPLOYMENT
Md Sabbir Ahmed, who graduated from Gopalganj Science and Technology University in 2023, has been sitting for recruitment exams over the past three years.
In some cases, he applied for government jobs in response to advertisements, but recruitment examinations have not been held for months.
Giving an example, Sabbir, who is staying in a shared room in the capital, said, “Although circulars were published twice in 2023 and 2024 for various posts in Bangladesh Karmachari Kalyan Board (BKKB), no exams were held. Another circular was issued for similar posts last month.”
According to “Bangladesh Labour Force Survey 2024” published by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the number of unemployed people in Bangladesh stood at 26.24 lakh, including 8.85 lakh graduates.
This means one in every three unemployed persons is a graduate.
Requesting anonymity, a female graduate said that delays in government recruitment have become a major cause of frustration for job seekers.
“After I graduated from a public university, my family expected me to start earning and contribute to the household. Instead, the reality of the job market has put me under immense mental pressure,” she said.
REASONS BEHIND DELAYS
Explaining the reasons behind the delay in filling the vacancies, several officials at the public administration ministry said the heads of various departments and agencies are unwilling to go for recruitment.
Directorates and agencies are typically headed by officials of additional secretary rank. Many of them are more focused on securing promotion to secretary than initiating recruitment drives, which often involve navigating lobbying and pressure from various quarters, said the ministry officials.
In many cases, if they do not listen to the ministers or secretaries of the parent ministries, it becomes difficult for them to get promoted, they pointed out.
Besides, some institutions rely on contractual staff to carry out part of their operations. This allows them to bypass lengthy recruitment procedures and quickly hire candidates of their choosing, they said.
Instability at the Secretariat after the July 2024 mass uprising also adversely affected recruitment processes in various government institutions, according to the officials.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Former secretary Ashfakur Rahman believes that if accountability can be ensured, it will be possible to quickly recruit manpower in government institutions.
He said that there is no accountability regarding how many posts became vacant in which institution in each fiscal year and how many initiatives were taken to fill them. There could be a rule stating that if posts are kept vacant without any valid reason, the official concerned will not receive the next promotion and posting.
Seeking anonymity, a secretary, currently on post-retirement leave, said that to speed up recruitment, a special task force should be formed under the direct supervision of the prime minister for two to three years.
“This body will push institutions to complete recruitment processes within a stipulated time. It will also provide a roadmap to the ministries and directorates for future recruitment activities,” added the official.
