NCR tops regions with largest number of unfilled gov’t positions

 Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno said unfilled positions as of July 30 this year is around 264,000. (PNA photo)

MANILA — The Duterte government is committed to address backlogs in government workers, the bulk of these vacancies being in the National Capital Region (NCR).

In a briefing Wednesday, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno said unfilled positions as of July 30 this year is around 264,000.

He said about 47.4 percent of the unfilled positions or more than 125,000 are teaching and teaching-related positions followed by general civil servants, 90,000 or 34.

2 percent; military and uniformed personnel, more than 34,000 or 13 percent; and medical and allied medical jobs, nearly 14,000 or 5.3 percent of the total.

Also, DBM data show that as of end-May this year, total unfilled positions reached 269,098 and the bulk are at the central offices of various agencies and those in foreign posts at 48,402.

Among the regions, NCR posted the most number of unfilled authorized positions at 22,044 positions followed by Region 4-A (Calabarzon), 19,204; Region 7 (Central Visayas), 17,827; Region 3 (Central Luzon), 15,557; Region 5 (Bicol), 14, 244; Region 6 (Western Visayas), 12,624; Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10,854; and Region 11 (Davao), 10,053.

Diokno said the large number of unfilled positions prevent the agencies to be efficient in their job, thus, he urged officials of these offices to start hiring people “or risk abolition of positions left unfilled after five years of creation.”

He is optimistic that the various agencies can attract lots of applicants since pay in the government is now at par with that of the private sector.

“Salaries are now attractive to those who want to join government.

We can compete,” he said.

The Budget and Management chief added that under the proposed 2019 budget, some 25,000 positions will be created.

Of these, 10,000 positions will be for teachers and policemen, 3,000 positions for firemen, and 2,000 for jail officers.