The Malaysian government received over 44.5 million job applications for public service positions from 2019 to 2023. According to Utusan Malaysia, this is processed through three main recruitment agencies under the Public Services Commission (PBM). Malay applicants recorded the highest percentage at 77 per cent, while Chinese and Indian applicants accounted for two and three per cent, respectively. Sabah and Sarawak’s Bumiputera, Orang Asli, and other ethnic groups made up 18 per cent of appointments.
Public Service director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said that the government processes applications to meet the needs of the public sector while ensuring inclusivity. “PBM (Public Services Commission) is legally empowered to appoint individuals into public service roles based on the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunity,” he said. “This recruitment process aims to ensure the efficient delivery of public services to citizens across all levels of society in the public sector,” he added.
The three main agencies under PBM are the Public Services Commission (SPA), the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (SPKP), and the Education Service Commission (SPP). Recruitment for the police is handled through the Police Force Commission, while appointments for the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) are managed by the Armed Forces Council (MAT). Despite having the fewest applications, Chinese applicants achieve the highest appointment rate at 68 per cent.
“This initiative has been carefully structured with the government’s full commitment to continuously improve the recruitment system and process to make it more efficient, transparent, and easily accessible to all,” Ahmad explained. As of December 31, there were 1,302,429 civil service officers (excluding the police and Armed Forces) recorded across ministries, departments, and agencies, according to the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). Of these, 77.7 per cent are Malays, 5.4 per cent Chinese, 3.7 per cent Indians, and 13.2 per cent consist of other ethnic groups.
“In this regard, the number of vacancies in the civil service is largely due to the low number of non-Malay applicants, even though their appointment rate is the highest each year compared to Malay applicants,” he said.
