Government freezes new recruitment

Government freezes new recruitment

The Cambodian government announced yesterday that it would temporarily postpone recruiting new officials, as Cambodia’s economy is stagnating from the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to an announcement released by the Ministry of Public Services, the government will cease recruiting new officials to serve in ministries as well as national and sub-national administrations “until further notice”.

“The Ministry of Public Services would like to ask the public for their understanding during this difficult time and participating with the government to combat COVID-19.”

Mr. Prum Sokha, the recently-appointed Minister of Public Services, told Khmer Times that the decision was made by the government to allocate resources into fighting the pandemic.

“Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we cannot select young talents to work in government at the moment,” Mr Sokha said. “It is only temporary, but we have not planned how long it will be.”

Mr. Sokha added that the suspension to some extent may affect the public services as in practice, the new recruits are to replace the official who go into retirement.

“The pandemic is affecting all sectors in the country, and the public services are no exception,” he said. “However, we are doing our best to ensure that our officials are serving the people effectively while also protecting themselves from COVID-19.”

The Minister said he did not have the exact number of officials whom the government planned to recruit this year. However, the report of a plenary session of the Council of Ministers in October last year unveils that the government has reserved 40 billion riels (approximately USD10 million) for talent recruitment in ministries and other state institutions.

Since March, which saw the first wave of COVID-19 cases in the kingdom, Some ministries and institutions have been practicing work-from-home policies, a move to prevent the possible spread of the pandemic.

The ministries allowing officials to work from home include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, Ministry of Industry and Handicraft, and Ministry of Commerce, as well as National Assembly.

During the implementation of work-from-home policies, some officials are asked to standby at their respective offices to provide public services and give information to the public.

Credited: Khmer Times