Defence, Public Security to absorb bulk of 15,839 public sector jobs

Colombo, March 4 (Daily Mirror) - The bulk of the 15,839 public sector vacancies approved by the Cabinet of Ministers will be absorbed by the defence and public security sectors, according to details of the latest recruitment drive.

The decision follows recommendations by a committee appointed under the leadership of the Secretary to the Prime Minister to review the public service recruitment process and prioritise essential vacancies.

Out of the total approvals, the Ministry of Defence will receive 9,794 positions accounting for more than half of the total vacancies. The Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs has been allocated 1,915 posts, making it the second-largest recipient.

The Ministry of Health and Mass Media will recruit 776 personnel, while the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation is set to fill 339 vacancies. The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education has been granted approval to recruit 300 staff members.

Meanwhile, several provincial councils will also see significant additions to their workforce. The Northern Provincial Council has been allocated 411 vacancies, followed by the Wayamba Provincial Council with 401 and the Eastern Provincial Council with 282 posts. The Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council will recruit 236 personnel.

The committee reviewing the appointments was established with Cabinet approval on 30 December 2024 to assess staffing requirements, priorities and timelines for essential recruitments. Requests submitted by ministries were examined at a meeting held on 12 February 2026 before final recommendations were presented to Cabinet.

The large-scale recruitment is expected to address longstanding vacancies, particularly in security and essential public service sectors, while strengthening administrative capacity at both national and provincial levels.