The Jammu and Kashmir government plans to fill 7,253 vacancies, both gazetted and non-gazetted, by the end of the year. In the past two years, 11,526 positions have already been filled, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told the assembly.
Responding to MLA Satish Kumar Sharma, Abdullah said that as of January 31, there were 32,474 vacancies across 38 government departments. These include 2,503 gazetted posts, 19,214 non-gazetted posts, and 10,757 Class-IV posts. He said 13,466 non-gazetted vacancies were sent to the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) in the past two years, with 9,351 selections completed. Similarly, 2,390 gazetted posts were sent to the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC), resulting in 2,175 appointments.
The 10,757 Class-IV vacancies are under review by the finance department before being referred. More than 6,000 vacancies are ready for referral and will be sent to recruiting agencies soon. To speed up hiring, the government has removed interviews for posts up to pay Level 5 (Rs 29,200-92,300) through an order issued on May 28, 2020.
Interviews for Level 6 posts, such as junior engineers and naib tehsildars, were also scrapped through another order on February 14, 2025. Departments are identifying more Level 6 posts where interviews can be removed.
New JKSSB rules introduced in November 2022 allow online computer-based tests and a single-exam system for multiple posts. The chief minister said that JKPSC and JKSSB should work proactively to complete recruitments on time.
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Key vacancies under recruitment include 150 junior engineer (Civil) posts referred to JKSSB. Engineering vacancies will be sent once the cadre schedule is finalised. Recruitment is also in progress for 150 gazetted posts in higher education and 56 gazetted and 660 non-gazetted vacancies in health and medical education. Of 840 referred vacancies, 476 have been filled, while 364 are in the final selection stage.
A high-level committee, led by the chief secretary, reviews the regularisation of casual, seasonal and other workers. To ensure timely hiring, the government has extended the deadline for recruitment rule notifications by six months from November 2024. JKSSB’s role has also been expanded to include non-gazetted recruitment in public sector undertakings, government companies, and boards, making the hiring process more efficient.
