In a significant move towards optimizing the efficiency of Sri Lanka’s public service, the Prime Minister’s Secretary has directed all Ministry Secretaries, Provincial Chief Secretaries, Department Heads, and Heads of Statutory Institutions to conduct a thorough review of staffing levels within their respective institutions. This step is required before any new recruitment requests are made.
The directive highlights the importance of aligning public service recruitment with actual workforce needs and financial constraints. The review findings must be submitted to a specially appointed committee tasked with overseeing the recruitment process and staff management across government institutions.
The letter, issued by Prime Minister’s Secretary Pradeep Saputhanthree, emphasizes the role of technology in modernizing human resource management. It underscores the necessity of leveraging IT-centric e-governance tools and advanced human resource methodologies to evaluate staffing requirements within already approved workforce limits.
The directive further mandates that institutions categorize their approved staff into senior, secondary, and primary levels and prepare revised staffing frameworks. The aim is to calculate the optimal number of employees needed for efficient operations and develop a new, streamlined staff plan.
Only after these steps have been completed and it is conclusively determined that additional vacancies exist, institutions may fill out the requisite forms and submit them to the committee for consideration. The committee is authorized to approve essential recruitments, ensuring that public service expansion remains within the country’s financial limits.
This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing the efficiency, accountability, and sustainability of public service operations while addressing current and future workforce challenges.
