What the government really needs is a business processing reengineering exercise (BPR).
Since government is in the business of delivering public goods and services, it needs to hire qualified employees to perform these jobs. Additionally, it also provides many commercial services—Railways and Posts being the primary examples. Both these organisations are in no position to compete with the private sector and are a big burden on the State finances.
If there is a professional BPR for these two organisations, many more jobs will be found to have become redundant. Instead of filling the ‘vacancies’ in these departments, the government should shed many more. Likewise, recruitment of MTS, clerks, stenos and accountants are completely unnecessary.
There are several areas where the State needs to do more—justice delivery, environment and pollution clean-up, skilling of labour, expansion of health and education services, back-stop unemployment insurance, and the like. A thorough BPR exercise will throw up how many jobs need to be created in these spheres.
There are, however, no ready vacancies to fill in there.