Government finalises major civil service reform package

The federal government has finalised a broad package of civil service reforms aimed at improving specialisation, recruitment, training and performance within the bureaucracy.

The proposed reforms include the creation of 11 specialised professional cadres and major changes to the Central Superior Services examination, promotions and performance evaluation.

The package was discussed at a consultative meeting chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal in Islamabad. Officials, lawmakers, policymakers, experts and other stakeholders attended the session.

According to the reform plan, the new professional cadres would cover areas including human resources, law, engineering, science and technology, information technology and telecommunications, energy, climate, agriculture and forestry, education, and health.

The government also plans to restructure the Establishment Division as the Human Resource and Organisation Development Division. Federal decision-making would be reduced from five administrative tiers to three.

Under the proposed National Executive Service system, positions in BS-20 and above would be advertised through open competition. Appointments would be made on five-year contracts linked to clearly defined performance targets. Serving government officers, academics and private-sector professionals would be eligible to compete. The Police Service and Foreign Service would remain outside the proposed system.

The reforms also envisage performance-linked financial incentives for federal secretariat employees. A new retirement package has been proposed, including a Rs5 million lump-sum payment funded through monthly deductions and subsidised health insurance.

The recruitment process would also undergo significant changes. The existing one-day interview would be replaced with a multi-day competency assessment covering areas such as psychometric evaluation, emotional intelligence and leadership skills.

The government intends to place officials according to their qualifications and professional expertise. The proposed system would introduce specialised training and a more structured promotion process based on defined criteria and collective assessment.

Changes to the CSS examination have also been proposed, although the examination itself would continue. Candidates would be allowed to attempt five compulsory papers in Urdu, while English proficiency would remain part of the screening process.

The preliminary test passing threshold would rise from 33 per cent to 40 per cent. Analytical reasoning would also be added, while negative marking would be removed.

The reforms call for greater use of digital systems and aim to complete the recruitment process within six months or less. Measures have also been proposed to address vacant quota seats reserved for Balochistan, Sindh, minorities and women.

Under the new performance framework, ministries would enter annual performance agreements with the prime minister, with individual targets linked to these agreements. Officials would undergo evaluations twice a year, while five per cent of employee-related expenditure would be allocated for performance-based honoraria.

The National Management Course would be reduced from 18 weeks to 10 weeks. Existing national and specialised training institutions would also be merged into a proposed National University of Public Administration.

The government estimates that implementing the reforms will cost around Rs11 billion. Officials said the package would not require a constitutional amendment.