KATHMANDU, June 22: The attraction of young people towards government jobs has decreased recently due to various reasons, including foreign employment. Compared to the last fiscal year (FY 2022/23), the number of applications for the Public Service Commission (PHC)’s examination in the current fiscal year (FY 2023/24) has decreased by about 10,000.
According to the PHC, in FY 2022/23, there were 483,203 applications received. Until mid-June of the current FY 2023/24, the number of applications submitted has reached 473,000. “This number is approximately the total number of applications received in the current fiscal year. However, the possibility of opening forms for the examination is very low now,” said PHC Information Officer Ek Narayan Sharma.
According to him, if we consider the report until Friday, the number of applications submitted to participate in the PHC’s examination in the current fiscal year is about 10,000 less compared to the previous fiscal year.
In recent times, the attraction of youth towards government services has decreased due to various reasons such as increased services and facilities in the private sector, creation of jobs in other sectors, and foreign employment opportunities. However, compared to the fiscal year 2021/22, it has been found that there was an increase in attraction towards government services in the fiscal year 2022/23.
In fiscal year 2021/22, there were applications from 365,434 individuals. Compared to that fiscal year, there was an increase of 32.23 percent in the number of applications received in fiscal year 2022/23.
According to the PHC, the lowest number of applications in the last 10 years was received in fiscal year 2018/19. In that year, applications were received from only 143,753 individuals. The highest number of applications was received in fiscal year 2016/17. In that year, applications were received from 844,297 individuals.
In fiscal year 2022/23, out of 483,203 individuals who filled out the forms, only 675 candidates were recommended for permanent appointments. This indicates a significant challenge in passing the PHC’s examination.
In addition, there are 1,999 women and 2,576 men who have found opportunities in government service. According to the PHC, there has been an increase in the number of applications for the position of non-technical non-gazetted second class officer.
Looking at the annual reports issued by the commission, the highest number of applications are for the post of non-technical non-gazetted second class officer, followed by non-technical gazetted first class officer and then non-technical gazetted section officer.
Similarly, 133,677 individuals have applied for the post of non-technical gazetted first-class officer, including 73,884 men and 59,793 women. Similarly, 57,969 individuals have applied for the post of non-technical gazetted section officer, including 35,663 men and 22,306 women.
According to the PHC, the highest number of applications are for the post of non-technical undersecretary after the non-gazetted second class officer, non-gazetted first class officer and section officer. There have been applications from 8,676 men and 2,476 women for the non-technical undersecretary position. There are 2,484 applications for the non-technical joint secretary position, including 2,130 men and 354 women.
The residents of Karnali province have shown an increase in attraction towards government service. According to the PHC’s 63rd and 64th annual reports, when looking at the statistics, the participation rate in the PHC examinations has been observed to have increased in Karnali Province.
In the PHC’s examination for the fiscal year 2021/22, a total of 365,434 individuals had filled out the forms. Among them, 33,494 were residents of Karnali Province, which accounts for 9.1 percent of the total. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2022/23, a total of 483,203 forms were filled out, with 64,290 residents of Karnali Province among them.
This percentage means that within a span of one year, the number of Karnali Province residents filling out the forms for the PHC has increased from 9.1 percent to 13.3 percent.
In Madhesh Province, the number of people filling out the PHC’s form has decreased compared to the previous year. Out of a total of 365,434 forms filled in the fiscal year 2021/22, 93,554 were filled by residents of Madhesh Province.