PSC unable to estimate number of exams under proposed civil service hiring system
The Public Service Commission told MPs it cannot yet determine how many exams the proposed civil service recruitment system would require.
Nicosia, Cyprus. The Public Service Commission said on Monday it does not know how many examinations would be held under a proposed new system for civil service recruitment. Officials and MPs continued discussing bills intended to streamline and accelerate hiring.
Proposed changes
A key change would see the general written examination held after vacancies are announced, rather than beforehand as under the current system. Applicants would therefore know whether they meet the qualifications for a post before deciding whether to sit an examination.
PSC chairman Georgios Papageorgiou said the current system includes three general examinations, based on three civil service pay-scale groupings, as well as potentially more specialised examinations.
Examination criteria
Under the proposed system, the PSC would be able to group positions that become available each year according to the qualifications required.
After the bills become law, the PSC would set examination criteria, including the number of interested applicants or specific qualifications, based on a political decision, Papageorgiou said.
“Right now, we can’t put a number on how many exams there will be,” he told MPs.
Concerns raised
Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said the proposal could require separate examinations for lawyers seeking posts in different departments, such as the attorney-general’s office and the justice ministry.
“A lawyer may need to take up to 17 exams within a year. This does a disservice to people interested in applying,” he said.
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