[File Photo]

The vacant positions in the Employment Ministry, despite adequate allocation, are overburdening the existing staff.

This has been highlighted by Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh in his ministerial statement.

Singh says from 2019 to 2022, the three financial years, the ministry has had annual savings of an average of one million dollars per year due to the vacant positions.

Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh.

He adds that it is critical to fill the vacant positions to enhance functioning and ensure that people’s needs are met.

“The Ministry has lost 25 established positions, mostly technical, due to not filling these positions in 2018, and funding was taken away by the Ministry of Economy in 2020. This has put the ministry in a handicapped situation.”

Singh says the ministry has 44 vacant positions as of 2020, which they are trying to fill in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Service in line with current policies.