The government has begun a programme to recruit more than 120,000 people into the state service this year, Minister of Public Administration Chandana Abeyratne said, with education, health and agriculture identified as the priority sectors.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said the drive is intended to fill existing vacancies across the public sector, Newswire reported.
Teachers and Grama Niladhari officers
Around 30,000 teachers are to be recruited under the programme. The competitive examination for those posts will be held shortly, and candidates who qualify will then be called for interviews. Abeyratne said the preparations needed for that process have already been completed.
The recruitment of more than 1,500 Grama Niladhari officers has reached its final stage, according to Hiru News. Examinations and interviews for those positions are finished, and officials are preparing to issue appointment letters to successful candidates.
Further recruitment is planned to address staffing shortages in several other parts of the state service, including health and agriculture.
Following last year’s intake
The minister said nearly 35,000 people were recruited into the state service in 2025, a group that included graduates and other eligible young people. This year’s target is more than three times that figure.
Neither outlet reported a breakdown of the 120,000 figure beyond the teacher and Grama Niladhari components, a timeline for the remaining categories, or the cost of the programme to the recurrent budget — the state wage bill being one of the fiscal pressures flagged in Sri Lanka’s reform commitments.
