The Punjab government has ordered departments to stop hiring for non-essential employees and instead create need-based roles.
The decision was made during the 75th meeting of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development, which was led by Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, the provincial Minister of Finance.
The meeting was also attended by Mian Aslam Iqbal, the Provincial Minister for Industry and Commerce, the Advisor to the Chief Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Salman Shah, the Chief Secretary of Punjab, and the secretaries of the involved departments.
The Finance Department and the Planning and Development Board will evaluate the already-approved seats in all government agencies to guarantee their necessity, according to the forum’s decision. Profitable semi-government groups will be able to hire as many people as they need, but government-funded departments will need to get approval for additional positions first.
The Provincial Minister of Finance, speaking at the event, emphasised that unfilled seats in government departments, enterprises, and authorities have an impact on the institutions, which is why departments should select qualified people for these posts.
“In addition, a number of seats have been replaced by machines or are no longer required in a number of departments.” Instead of burdening the public purse with further recruiting for such seats, the government should focus on their rationale and give non-existent facilities instead of superfluous recruitment to improve the performance of government departments, adjusting to modern requirements,” he stated.
At the request of the Home Department and the Irrigation Department, the committee also approved recruitment to the Safe City Authority and Water Supply Scheme for Tehsil Issa Khel.