PUTRAJAYA: Recruitment of officers into the civil service is guided by principles of meritocracy and equal opportunity, says Public Service (JPA) director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
He said that the recruitment process was handled fully by the appointing authority (PBM), which had the legal mandate to appoint individuals to various services.
“This recruitment process aims to ensure fair participation from all ethnic groups in the public sector, in line with the government’s objective of providing more inclusive job opportunities, while simultaneously selecting the best talents to deliver services to the people,” he said in a statement today.
Wan Ahmad Dahlan said a total of 44,559,514 applications were received by the Public Services Commission (SPA), the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (SPKP) and the Education Service Commission (SPP) between 2019 and 2023.
Of these applications, he noted that Malay applicants constituted the highest percentage at 77 per cent, while applications from Chinese and Indian applicants accounted for 2 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.
Applications from Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera, Orang Asli and other ethnic groups made up 18 per cent of the total.
Despite the lower number of applications from Chinese candidates over the five-year period, Wan Ahmad Dahlan noted that the percentage of appointments in relation to candidates interviewed was the highest at 85 per cent, followed by Indians at 68 per cent, Orang Asli at 54 per cent, Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera at 45 per cent, other ethnic groups at 42 per cent and Malays at 41 per cent.
“This clearly demonstrates that marginalisation of any ethnic group does not occur in the recruitment process for civil service positions,” he said.
He explained that appointments were made in line with the government’s principle of selecting the most suitable and qualified candidates for available positions based on their qualifications and performance in tests and interviews.
As of Dec 31, 2024, the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) recorded a total of 1,302,429 civil servants, excluding personnel from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).
Of the total, 77.7 per cent are Malays, 5.4 per cent Chinese and 3.7 per cent Indians. The remaining 13.2 per cent consist of Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera, Orang Asli and other ethnicities.
“In this regard, the ethnic composition gap in the civil service is primarily due to the very low number of non-Malays applying for government positions, despite having the highest appointment success rates each year compared to Malays,” he explained.
The government, he added, would continue to enhance the recruitment system and processes to make them more efficient, transparent and accessible to all citizens.
He said the government also urged all qualified Malaysians to take advantage of the opportunities available by joining the public service to contribute to national development, while fostering more equitable and inclusive opportunities for all.
