The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs received more than 17,000 applications for 500 vacancies across the 25 state institutions under it, Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi told Parliament.

The recruitment drive was intended to resolve labour shortages that have built up across the cultural sector, he said, EconomyNext reported.

“The closing date to recruit 500 work assistants was just the other day. Believe it or not, over 17,000 applications have been received.”

That is roughly 34 applicants for every post.

850 watchmen short at Archaeology

The Minister said every institution under his ministry was affected, singling out the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology.

“All 25 institutions under my ministry, including the Fund and the Department of Archaeology, are places facing severe vacancies.”

He said an extended period without recruitment had created critical operational gaps, and put the Department of Archaeology’s shortfall at 850 watchmen.

Responding to staffing concerns raised over sites such as Gal Vihara — the rock-carved Buddha images at Polonnaruwa and one of the country’s most visited heritage monuments — Senevi said what the department mainly needs is watchmen and work assistants to keep operations running.

Recruitment is proceeding rapidly, he said, with a large round of appointments ranging from executive grades downward recently conducted for both bodies.

Context

The response rate is the notable figure. A ratio of 34 to one for entry-grade work-assistant posts is a measure of demand for secure public employment at a point when the state payroll is constrained under the IMF programme, and when the government is encouraging workers to seek employment abroad through schemes aimed at migrant earners.

It also sets a figure against a long-running heritage problem. Guarding archaeological sites has been a recurring issue in Sri Lanka, where unstaffed monuments are exposed to encroachment, treasure hunting and vandalism; an 850-post gap in a single department gives the scale of it for the first time.

Not reported

EconomyNext does not break the 500 posts down across the 25 institutions, give the grades or salary scales involved, or say when appointments will be made. It does not state how many of the 500 are work assistants as against watchmen, whether the 850-watchman shortfall is addressed by this round at all, or what the recruitment will cost.

The Minister was speaking in Parliament and no other verified newsroom had filed on the exchange at the time of writing.