MANILA – A total of 234,704 government positions were created since the Duterte administration took over in 2016, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday.
Diokno said the government opened 34,822 jobs in 2016, 90,655 positions in 2017, and increased it to 109,217 jobs in 2018.
He added that most of these public sector vacancies involve the delivery of basic services such as teachers, doctors, and nurses.
However, only 8 percent of the positions opened have been filled, with 92 percent or a total of 214,935 positions are still available as of January 12, 2019.
The DBM chief noted that bulk of government jobs generated during the current administration were in the education sector.
Of the total 158,123 positions created for the Department of Education (DepEd) and another 10,554 positions for the state universities and colleges (SUCs), there are 74,133 vacant positions in DepEd and 8,930 positions in SUCs.
Diokno said with the salary adjustments for public school teachers, the government is confident to fill in the remaining positions.
The government also needs 34,306 new soldiers and uniformed personnel.
About 15,278 positions are still open in the Department of Finance, particularly for its attached agencies such as the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The Department of Health is also in need of 14,478 workers, mostly healthcare practitioners such as doctors and nurses.
Moreover, some 13,159 jobs are open in the Judiciary; 5,577 vacant positions in the Department of Justice; 3,091 positions in Department of Environment and Natural Resources; 2,347 jobs in Department of Public Works and Highways; and 2,206 jobs are open in Department of Interior and Local Government.
“We want to firm up the bureaucracy and improve our public service delivery,” said Diokno. (PNA)
