Quotas Set to Increase, But Number of Jobs in Government, Banks Is Falling

Recruitment through the three big government agencies went from a total of 1,13,524 in FY2015 to 1,00,933 in FY2017.

New Delhi: According to government data, those eligible for the new 10% reservation will be competing for a shrinking number of jobs in the Central government, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and banks.

The Indian Express reported that Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) data on recruitment through the  Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) over the last three years shows that the number of selections has been going down. It went from a total of 1,13,524 in FY2015 to 1,00,933 in FY2017.

The number of employees in CPSEs is also on the decline, according to Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises data. CPSEs had 16.91 lakh employees in FY2014, but this fell to 15.23 lakh in FY2017. “But for a small increase in FY2017, there is a steady decline in the numbers over the last four years,” the Indian Express report states.

By removing the number of contract and casual employees, this number looks even worse. Then, CPSEs employed 11.31 lakh in FY2017, down from 11.85 lakh in FY2016.

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In banks, the number of employees has gone up – but this is true only because of recruitment at the officer level, according to Indian Express. Recruitment for clerks and subordinate staff has reduced by close to 8% between FY2015 and FY2017.

Parliament has passed 124th constitution amendment providing a 10% quota for “economically weaker sections” from the general category of the population – primarily upper caste Hindus, but also religious minorities. This amendment has already been challenged in the Supreme Court.