Government to size state recruitment to the number of graduates leaving university each year

The government has drawn up a programme to recruit into state jobs a number of people equal to the number of graduates leaving the university system each year, Public Administration Minister Prof. Chandana Abeyratne told Parliament on Saturday.

Speaking during the parliamentary debate, the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government said that ad-hoc and irregular recruitments will not be carried out, NewsFirst reported.

Government policy, he said, is to recruit people with qualifications and on merit, subject to the approval of the Public Management Committee.

What the statement does not settle

The report is brief and leaves the central numbers open. It does not state how many graduates the university system produces annually, what the resulting recruitment target would be, over what period the programme runs, or which ministries and services would absorb the appointments.

Nor does it address the cost. A commitment to match annual graduate output would represent a standing addition to the public payroll, and the report carries no costing, no funding source and no indication of whether the figure is already provided for in the 2027 Budget now before Parliament.

The phrasing also leaves ambiguous whether the programme covers all graduates or only those from state universities, and whether it is a guarantee of employment or a ceiling on how much the state will hire.

Context

Graduate unemployment has been a recurring pressure point for successive Sri Lankan governments, and state recruitment has long been the default response. This administration has run several targeted schemes already, including interviews for graduate teacher appointments and the recruitment of B.Ed graduates to provincial schools.

NewsFirst is the only verified newsroom this desk found carrying the remarks. Ada Derana, which has covered the budget debate closely, remained unreachable at the time of writing.

Note: Minister Chandana Abeyratne is not to be confused with Malima MP Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, who spoke on fuel and gas pricing the same day.