AL-led administration plans to raise age limit for government jobs

The Awami League-led government plans to raise the age limit of candidates aspiring to get into the civil services.

“The discussion is ongoing. The process has not started yet, but it will start soon,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told bdnews24.com on Monday.

“I hope the entry age limit will go up.”

But there’s no discussion on raising the retirement age for public servants.

The parliamentary standing committee on the public administration ministry recommended increasing the age limit for entering public services to 35 years from 30 years now and the retirement age to 65 years from 59 years now.

The government last raised the age limit for job seekers and the public servants’ retirement age in 2011.

“The discussion has been made primarily in line with the standing committee’s recommendations," said Alam.

“Senior officials have already finished the discussion to increase the age limit for government jobs. Now, we will work on this,” an official of the public administration ministry told bdnews24.com.

The official hinted that the age limit for job seekers can be raised by two years before the expiry of the current government’s tenure.

On Nov 21 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the extension of retirement age for freedom fighters in government services to 60 years.

Government job aspirants then demanded increasing the age limit for entry to public services.

Besides, students and jobseekers demonstrated for weeks demanding the government raise the age limit for the public services, apart from reforms to the quota system.

Private banks did not want to recruit a candidate with more than 30 years of age in accordance with government rules, squeezing their job opportunities, they argued.