THERE will be a total of 246,596 vacancies “on paper” in national government positions next year, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said.
Recto said only 1,214,137 are projected to be filled out of the 1,460,733 authorized positions for 2018.
He said some of the vacancies will have to be scrapped if they are redundant.
But he noted that crucial items such as those in the Philippine National Police and the medical personnel of the Department of Health should be filled.
“In the PNP, although we will hire 10,000 next year, there will still be 14,599 vaccant slots,” he said.
Topping the list of agencies that will go on a hiring-spree next year is the Department of Education, which will open up 81,100 teaching slots beginning January. These are for 43,732 kindergarten and elementary teachers, 1,944 special education teachers, 35,192 junior high school teachers, and 232 for senior high school teachers.
The second biggest recruiter will be the Philippine National Police which will be authorized to create 10,000 entry-level Police Officers 1 positions. Once hired, they will raise PNP’s uniformed personnel strength to 194,410, resulting in a 1:511 policeman to population ratio.
Recto said although other agencies will not create job items, they will be hiring to fill existing but vacant positions.
“Those involved in infrastructure, like the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways, will have no choice but to boost their technical staff to end talent shortage and project delays,” he said.
Recto said the DPWH has 1,777 vacancies in its approved plantilla of 19,501 personnel.
The judiciary, Recto said, is also grappling with lack of judges and support personnel to dispose of heavy caseloads.
The Supreme Court and lower courts have total plantilla positions of 37,230 but only 25,154 are filled, leaving 12,076 vacancies.
