Number of central government employees lowest since 2010

The central government currently has the lowest number of central government employees since 2010, with a figure of 30.13 lakh. Additionally, the number of sanctioned posts stands at 39.77 lakh, the lowest in the past three years. Consequently, there are over 9.64 lakh vacant posts in the Union government.

According to the latest 'Annual Report on Pay & Allowances' published by the Department of Expenditure of the Finance Ministry, between March 1, 2021, and March 1, 2022, the total sanctioned strength of Central government civilian regular employees, excluding Union territories, decreased from 40.35 lakh to 39.77 lakh. The decrease in sanctioned posts is mainly attributed to a reduction in the number of posts in the Group C cadre.

During the same period, the number of persons in positions decreased from 30.56 lakh to 30.13 lakh. This decline in both occupied positions and sanctioned posts has resulted in a lower number of vacant posts, which currently stands at approximately 9.64 lakh. Without these reductions, the number of vacancies could have been higher.

The government aims to improve the employment situation by the time the next set of data (until March 1, 2023) is released. This effort is in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of 10 lakh jobs in October of the previous year.

The decrease in sanctioned and occupied posts is observed across various departments. The Railways, Defence (Civil), Home Affairs, Posts, and Revenue departments/ministries account for about 92% of Central government jobs.

As the largest provider of Central government jobs, the Railways had 11.98 lakh persons in position and 15.07 lakh sanctioned posts as of March 1, 2022, resulting in approximately 3 lakh vacancies.

In the Defence Ministry's civilian posts, out of 5.77 lakh sanctioned posts, 3.45 lakh are occupied, leaving 2.32 lakh vacancies. Within the Home Ministry, out of 10.90 lakh sanctioned posts, 9.69 lakh are occupied, and there are 1.20 lakh vacancies.

Within the Postal Department, there are 1.64 lakh occupied posts and 2.64 lakh sanctioned posts, leaving over 1 lakh vacancies. In the Revenue Department, there are 1.78 lakh sanctioned posts and 1.04 lakh occupied posts, resulting in 74,000 vacancies.

The decreasing number of sanctioned posts and regular staff is largely attributed to the growing reliance on external outsourcing agencies to fulfill the roles of permanent employees. The government's utilization of outsourcing and contractual staff has increased over the years.